Darlynne
by Alyssa James
Summary: Most people aren't aware of Alice's secret, especially the role holders. After all, there's a reason why she doesn't want to fall in love anymore... T for now, just to be safe. Based on "Lynne" by Hachi. IMPORTANT UPDATE!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! So, this is the very first story I have placed here on . I have written fanfiction before, but never have I ventured into the brave, somewhat fantastical world of HnKnA! *prepares herself for tremendous battle* I got inspired for this when I was listening to Hachi's Lynne (with Hatsune Miku) and I had always wondered why Alice never wanted to fall in love, why her ex had betrayed her (and how) and just the fact that Hachi has to be at least some form of demigod (there, I said it). Sadly, this is only the prologue, but if you review and comment, I might be tempted to write more. Please, please review! It is how us authors stay current with the story and reviews are always really nice. **

**DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED HEART NO KUNI NO ALICE, THE GAMES WOULD ALREADY BE AVAILABLE IN THE US. But sadly, I don't -.-**

XXX

**Prologue**

"_Alice. Alice, I'm leaving… What we did, it was a mistake… We should have never gone that far..._"A warm voice was pressed against Alice's ear, full of remorse and bitterness. Alice wanted to see that person again, wanted to see him smile, but her eyes wouldn't listen to her. She laid there, helpless, as a last, painstakingly long kiss was placed on her cheek. Then the warmth was gone. She was alone, broken, and so very frightened.

_Please… please don't go…_ she thought when—

Alice landed with a thump on the hard wooden floor of the Clock Tower. She rubbed her sore bottom, her head feeling as though it was going to explode. Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was nearly noon. _What a way to start the day_, she thought. Standing up, she brushed the dust off herself and began to remove her nightgown in favor of her blue dress.

There was a knock at the door. "Are you all right?" Julius asked; he sounded concerned. Plastering on a fake smile, she finished changing and went to open the door. He was standing there, his unusually colored bluish-black hair pulled into a low ponytail. In his hand was a clock, which Alice could only assume was one of the many hearts of the citizens of Wonderland. Being such the mortician, Alice knew she probably had interrupted him with her fall.

Smiling, she replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped when I got out of bed." Even though she said this, the look in Julius' eyes seemed doubtful; but knowing the man, he wouldn't say anything unless it seemed particularly important. Alice sighed; that had been one of the reasons she had stayed here.

"Just be more careful next time," he said as a light blush covered his cheeks. Alice giggled. It wasn't everyday she saw the walls of the supposedly 'cold' Julius come down, but when it happened, he seemed so much younger. Of course, Alice had tried getting him to do it more, but the man was persistent: he completely ignored every advance she made by either giving Nightmare to her or just running away until she dropped the issue. Knowing she wouldn't get anywhere, she let him leave without another word. He had clocks to fix, after all.

Grabbing her favorite hairpiece, she made her way down for breakf— er, lunch. She hadn't realized she'd slept in so late, but last night had been horrendous. She had been having some rather crazy dreams about her world, so perfectly colored that she thought she was reliving them at first. But every dream became more vivid and vivid, until she couldn't even fall back to sleep. By some miraculous turn of events, she had, but the last dream had really, truly scared her.

_Alice was in her bed. But for some reason, she had checked the clock and realized it was well past midnight and she didn't feel tired. In fact, she was anxious for something that she knew was going to happen._

_Then her door cracked open, as though someone was trying to sneak in. Which, for all intensive purposes, there was. Standing in the doorway was a raven haired man with dark violet eyes and a taunting smirk. His hands were hanging precariously on his hips, where Alice blushed when she noticed he wasn't wearing any pants. The man looked familiar, but for the life of her, Alice couldn't place where she'd seen him._

"_Alice," he purred, like a predator about to attack its prey. Taking her eyes away from his lack of clothing, she stared straight into those eyes that seemed to devour her very soul. Slowly, he made his way towards her, stopping when he was nearly a few inches away. Glancing down at her, he asked, "Do you want me Alice?"_

_Alice stared as comprehension washed over her features. The man was her ex, the very man who had supposedly broken her heart. Somewhere in her mind, she knew she was dreaming. But logic was completely abandoned when he sat down on the bed and placed her hand on the slight bulge in his pants, a sure sign. Sighing, Alice replied, "Yes. I want all of you. Please… please make me yours."_

_Smiling, he placed his lips on Alice's, kissing her first very sweetly, but becoming more urgent as time went on. Along the way, his tongue slipped into her mouth, exploring every crevice and dancing around playfully. She grabbed his hair; pulling him as deep as she could, she still couldn't get enough. She hadn't necessarily wanted this, but now she knew: she was glad. She was glad that he wanted her and somewhat naïvely believed he would always be with her._

_Lowering her down onto her bed, he began to remove her shirt, which she gladly let him. She found herself mesmerized; how could one man be so perfect? Soon, her pants were off as well, and she realized that only a very small amount of cloth was separating him from her. He pulled of those troublesome pieces, already having removed his, and began his ministrations…_

_She screamed, reaching her climax as she did. A painful, shocking realization filtered through her; what had she done? She could see blood and felt incredibly tired, as though she had just run a marathon. He pulled away suddenly; too quickly in fact and began to reapply his clothes. Alice, too tired to even move, felt him place his lips against her skull, whispering sweet nothings to her. Then he left her there. Alice was alone._

_She couldn't help it. Bitter tears began to fall from her eyes—_

That had been when she had woken up. She still couldn't displace the images from her mind because it was all too much. But the emotions she felt were worse. Anger, betrayal, hurt, sadness… her heart seemed to be breaking as she remembered him. He had used her, used her so much that the wounds had to yet to heal over, and then he abandoned her.

The truly sad thing was she still wanted him to love her.


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to thank all those who alerted/reviewed! It really means a lot to me, especially since this was a spontaneous plot-bunny I had. I'm not quite sure where I'm going with it, but hopefully, it continues to make sense throughout. Now, onto the disclaimer:**

**DISCLAIMER: THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE *NOSEBLEED* MOMENTS AND AN ANIME RELEASE IF I OWNED THIS. But of course there isn't and I don't own anything T.T**

XXX

**Chapter 1**

By the time Alice ate lunch and was able to leave the Clock Tower, her escapade of nightmares had already been pushed to the back of her mind. In fact, she was currently in a great mood, one that couldn't be disturbed.

Unless…

Feeling her hackles rise, she stepped to the side just in time to avoid Peter, the slightly—majorly—obsessive White Rabbit of Wonderland.

"Alice~" he whined, strategically attaching himself to her arm. "Let's go play~"

Alice grimaced. This had become a habit lately; Peter was being more persistent than usual, and, although she was flattered (deep, deep, DEEP down) she was still annoyed at his capriciousness. Pasting on her best smile, she said, "I'm sorry, but I was on my way over to the Hatter mansion." It wasn't a total lie. She_ was_ interested in delving deeper into Blood's collection of books, but she wasn't planning on stopping there until later in the afternoon.

Of course, Peter had a way of changing her plans rather quickly.

"Oh." His answer was curt and slightly angry, but he stepped back anyway, allowing Alice to pass. "Then I guess I better let you go."

Alice was shocked; never had Peter been so willing for her to visit another roleholder, especially the Mafioso of the Hatter Mansion. But before she could analyze it any further, Peter bounded away and said, "Until later, my sweet." And with that, he was gone.

Deciding to not question the few moments of sanity he had, she went on her way, unaware of the sinister red eyes watching her from the bushes.

"Hey, look Brother, it's the Lady!"

"Yeah, yeah, the Lady came to visit!"

"Cool!" Both voices exclaimed at once, making Alice giggle. The two Gatekeepers of the Hatter Mansion, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum, were fourteen-year-old boys who loved three things: killing, their job, and, more importantly, Alice. They could be sweet, but their tendency to play 'kill-or-be-killed' games still made Alice a little weary.

Walking over, Alice smiled and said, "Do you mind if I went to see Blood? I'm interested in borrowing some of his books."

Dee smiled back, but shook his head. "We're sorry, Pretty Lady, but Boss is out right now. He and the Newbie-Hare had to go do negotiations, but…"

"We can play with the Pretty Lady!" Dum interjected proudly. Alice sweat dropped; the last time she had 'played' with the two Gatekeepers, her throat had nearly been slashed. Before she could politely decline, a slightly gruff voice reached her ears.

"Like hell you are! You two are still on the clock!" an enraged Elliot yelled, getting between Alice and the boys. "Besides, last time you 'played' with Alice, you almost killed her! Now go back to work!"

Dee and Dum stuck their tongues out at Elliot, childishly pouting. Dee said, "Hey we **were** playing with the Lady—it's just that she didn't know the game."

Dum nodded. "Yeah, the Newbie-Hare doesn't understand! He probably wants the Lady all to himself!"

"He's just being a p-e-r-v-e-r-t," Dee teased, giving his brother a high five. By then, Elliot was blushing profusely (whether it was from embarrassment or anger, Alice couldn't tell) but before he could rebut, a smooth, painstakingly cocky voice arose in the background.

"Why is it you are always in the middle of this, young lady?" Alice jumped; he was so close!

Chuckling, Blood looked over at his subordinates. "Now, what seems to be the matter here? As I recall, you are _**all**_ on the clock right now." As he said this, his arms wrapped themselves around Alice's petite frame, making her frown. She went to remove his hands, but he simply tightened his grip. Alice felt her eyebrow twitch.

Growling, she said, "Blood, what are you think doing? Let me go!"

He simply chuckled. "Why, I don't know what you mean, young lady." Taking on a slightly reprimanding tone, Blood addressed the other men. "I would get back to your jobs if I were you. Unless, of course, you **want **to get your pay docked."

Elliot, Dee, and Dum shook their heads. "No sir!" They brought their hands up into a mock salute and all dispersed, leaving Alice and Blood alone. Who, as of yet had not taken his hands off Alice.

Sighing, she asked him tiredly, "Don't you have anything else better to do than harass me? I get enough of it from Peter; I don't need you too."

Blood simply laughed. "Oh, but you enjoy it when I do it more, right?"

"No."

Blood chortled again, but he finally released Alice from his grip. "I take it you're here to get more books, correct?" It was odd how formal he could be in a second's notice. Especially when he had been molesting Alice just seconds before.

Alice nodded. "Yeah, but if it's a bad time, I can come back later." _Please say no_, she silently begged. There was no way she was going to have a repeat of last night. Sleep be damned, she wasn't going to have any more nightmares.

Blood made a noise in the back of his throat, pretending to think, before waving Alice in. "No, you're no bother; in fact, I just bought some new books not too long ago."

"Really?" Alice asked, feeling her jovial mood returning. Laughing, she stepped in front of him and took the lead. "Then let's go!"

Blood smiled; he really was enjoying himself with the Outsider. There wasn't anything… 'else' he wanted to do.

Right?

XXX

Not even ten minutes later, Alice already had her arms full of books. She was currently reading an odd fairy-tail about how an android fell in love with a human girl. The girl, someone with the weird name Seventeen, said the Robot didn't know what love was and left him, laughing at his stupidity. For some reason, this left a strange sense of foreboding in Alice. That was almost like… her dreams. If this story was her life, she would be the android and Seventeen would be her ex.

Alright, now she was little depressed. Sighing, she closed the fairy-tail and grabbed a much happier book to dispel her thoughts.

Blood was doing paperwork, but every few moments he would steal a glance at the rather oblivious foreigner. After another agonizing look, he slammed his pen down.

Alice flinched; glancing up, she saw Blood was standing, his eyes covered by black fringe.

"Bl-blood?" she squeaked. "What's wrong?"

He didn't answer; instead, he made his way over until he was standing right over her. She gulped; Blood was definitely acting strange.

Leaning forward, Blood grasped Alice's chin, making it impossible for her to turn away. He stared hard into her eyes before seductively purring, "Aren't you aware of how… tempting you're acting?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Alice asked, her voice soft and small-sounding. "I'm not acting t-t-t… like that," she finished.

"But you are," he growled sensually, pushing her back into the chair. "And I know what we need to do."

Alice opened her mouth to reply before hot lips were on her own. They kissed her fervently, and, taking advantage of her, a tongue slipped in her mouth. It explored everything; every crevice was thoroughly ravaged, and he went as far to try to reciprocate her tongue into dancing.

Alice's eyes widened. No! She didn't want this! Gathering whatever strength she had, she pushed at Blood's arms, but to no avail. He wasn't letting go!

Her heart accelerated. This situation… it was too much like her dreams. It didn't help matters when Blood opened his eyes and Alice **swore** she saw onyx orbs staring down at her.

That was her breaking point. Her struggling reached a new climax as Blood continued to kiss her; cocking her fist back, she hit him straight in the nose, making him release his hold on her as he fell backwards. Blood gushed out of his nose. He tentatively placed a hand up to his nose, shocked, before a truly malignant aura surrounded him. He was _pissed_.

Alice didn't even notice. She was shaking, her body shivering like some Chihuahua. It wasn't fear though; no, she was glad she had punched Blood. Surprisingly, it had even felt nice. That wasn't what had her all worked up.

_T-there's no way_, she thought. "That's impossible."

Blood's murderous face turned to one of confusion. He went to ask her something, but Alice couldn't hear him. Memories were flashing across her mind. _The bed_… _another girl_… _her anger_… _his corpse_… _**him**_…

It was too much. With one final, wordless scream, Alice passed out.

XXX

**Okay, I know that was mean to leave a cliff-hanger, but I wrote this entire chapter today, and I thought that was a good place to stop. Also, I know it got a little dark at the end here, but trust me: it won't be forever. I don't like writing dark fics because they really clash with my personality. Sorry if the characters seem OOC; I'm working my ass off to keep them IC, but it can be hard. **

_**To TheBlueQueen: Thank you for reviewing my story! I really appreciate the words of encouragement!**_

**And to all the others: PLEASE REVIEW! **

**UPDATE: The book Alice is reading is actually a song. Can you guess what it is? I'll be waiting **


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HEART NO KUNI NO ALICE! HELL, IF I DID, I CAN GUARANTEE YOU I WOULDN'T BE WRITING FANFICTIONS ABOUT IT!**

**Chapter 3**

The world was spinning. No, more specifically, Alice was spinning. She was falling, falling down into a seemingly black abyss. She was alone.

Or at least, she thought.

After a few minutes of unending blackness, Alice heard something. It was faint and miniscule, and Alice was content with ignoring it. In fact, the blackness was so inviting, she wrapped her arms around her legs and attempted to fall into a fitful slumber.

Unfortunately, the background noise was getting louder. She moaned; why wouldn't it just go away? When she heard the noise, the blackness didn't seem as inviting. In fact, it seemed to be pushing her away towards the noise.

"—ce. Alice," the noise was becoming more prominent, more demanding. Groaning, she rolled over, blocking the noise from entering her head, but to no avail. The blackness began to recede and light began to filter in.

At first, her eyes fluttered; then, they slowly opened to the face of multiple roleholders. Julius, Nightmare, Gray, Blood, Elliot—all of them were there in the room, looking at her with worry in their eyes.

She smiled weakly; she didn't want to worry them anymore than was necessary, but even she wasn't blind to the visible flinch of Blood. Julius glared over at the mafia boss, while Gray began to fuss over her like a mother hen.

"Alice! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did you have bad nightmares? Did—" Grey was cut off as Alice placed a placating hand up in front of his face, albeit a bit shaky.

"I'm fine," she said, wincing at how weak her voice sounded. "Wh… what happened?"

"You don't remember?" Grey asked, his tone surprisingly neutral. Alice shook her head.

Julius sighed. "Well, I guess I'm not surprised. According to Blood," he spit his name like it was venom, "you took a pretty nasty fall. I expected you probably wouldn't remember much, but I was hoping I was wrong."

Alice winced; she felt Nightmare's probing in her mind, and she prayed that he didn't see anything, though she wasn't sure why. Sighing, he spoke up. "I just checked her mind; there was nothing that I could discern in it that would be a threat to her."

Blood exhaled loudly, but quickly covered up his blunder with a cough. Elliot simply stared at Blood, his brow furrowed in concentration; after all, Julius wasn't the only one suspicious of the seemingly innocent Mafioso.

"Well, we better go," Nightmare said, after a moment. "We'll give you some breathing room."

Alice nodded her thanks. And with that, she fell back into a deep slumber.

XXX

It was nearly noon when Alice woke up again. Her sleep had been restful, not plagued by dreams (terrible or not) in the slightest.

_Rowwwwl_. She cringed; apparently, her stomach wasn't so lucky. Sighing, she decided to stand up, and silently celebrated when she didn't fall.

There was suddenly a knocking at the door. Walking over, Alice opened the door, only to be greeted by an over-enthusiastic Peter in her wake. He grabbed her in a tight bear hug, swinging her around the room to the point where she thought she might throw up on him.

"Oh, Alice~ My dear Alice! How my heart aches for your wounds! Please let me kiss your wounds better!" By this point, Alice was nearly green in the face, but she still had enough stamina to push against Peter.

"Get off of me, Peter! I don't—Oomph!" He pulled Alice's small frame stock against his body, his hands holding her tightly.

His tone was surprisingly serious. "Alice, please be more careful. I… I don't know what I would do if I lost you." His sincerity brought a small smile to Alice's face; sometimes Peter really shocked her. Why, if he was more like this normally, she would probably be more willing to give him a chance.

"Thanks," she whispered as Peter placed her on the ground. He smiled pleasantly in turn, before opening the door and leading her downstairs.

XXX

Once Alice and Peter got downstairs, Alice was shocked to see nearly all of the roleholders standing in the Clock Tower. Along with Blood and Elliot, Vivaldi had come (with Ace and Peter, of course); Gowland and Boris were sitting on stools, talking animatedly; and even the Jokers were there, White watching with mild interest while Black scowled at the people.

"Alice!" In a blur of movement, nearly everyone was around her (save for Vivaldi, who was scowling at the "antics of men" while she drank her tea). They were all giving her hugs, helping her find a seat, even telling her of the other territories to lighten her spirits. Alice smiled; this was where she belonged.

_What__…__?_ She paled just a little; why did she think that? Shouldn't she have been returning to her sister, her life, her world? She couldn't stay here in Wonderland; so then, why was she so unwilling to leave?

"Alice? Is something wrong?" It was Boris, his usually care-free tone worried. She didn't hear him; in fact, she was becoming increasingly aware of how much everybody cared for her.

_And __if __they __found __out__…_ Suddenly, she remembered why she was so unwilling to go home. Sure, she missed her sister; missed her world; missed her friends; but then… true clarity had sunk in.

In her memories, she had completely repressed that of which she was afraid. Her cowardice… but no, that wasn't quite right. It was her recklessness that she feared the most. How brash she had been, how stupid she had been, how angry she had been.

Alice had stopped moving; her mind was racing. All of the other roleholders were looking her with worried expressions, but she paid them no heed. She had…

"Alice!" The urgency of the voice and the slap that accompanied it snapped her out of her trance. Standing in front of her was Vivaldi, her chest heaving as though she had just run marathon in six-inch high heels. "Alice, we are worried! What is wrong, Alice? Please remember, you can tell us."

Alice's eyes widened; her sister had said the exact same thing when Alice told her about… about….

_Just __say __it_, an inner voice inside herself stated. _Didn__'__t __mother __always __say __the __truth __will __set __you __free?_

Suddenly, Alice's frame began to shake. She was shaking, but not from fear; instead, she was laughing. Hysterically. More and more memories resurfaced from the terrible night, the night where she refused to ever fall in love again. The night where her sister had helped cover up a part of Alice's blunder, the night where she had decidedly hated death and all that accompanied it.

The night when she killed the very first man she loved.

The roleholders all looked on as Alice continued to cry hysterically. They didn't know how to respond to her, a girl that was usually so collected and energetic whose body was now being wracked with sobs. But even with them looking on, none of them saw Alice's hand reach in the pockets of her dress until it was too late.

In one final act of hysterics, Alice shattered the vile on the floor.

**Okay, okay, so I'm sorry this ended (again!) on a cliffhanger, but I promise, next chapter will go into more detail about Alice's past and what she did. As pertaining to the last line, the "vile" refers to the medicine of the heart she is forced to drink at the beginning of the manga (yes, I only read the manga). I thought I should clear that up.**

**On an unrelated note, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to help me beta. It would nice if someone could help me look over my chapters ('cuz let's face it, I am only human). It would be nice, so if anyone is interested, just message me or review this story.**

**On a somewhat related note… thank you to the few who reviewed and favorite/alerted! It means a lot to me to know someone enjoys my story! Speaking of reviews…**

_**To ThePandaHat: Yes, I am hoping to continue with this until the end. It made me all warm and sparkly inside seeing another review to continue this story. Thank you!**_

**Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: IT'S LATE, I HAVE SCHOOL, AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE BEING CREATIVE. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING, SAVE FOR THE PLOT! Enjoy~**

**Chapter 4 **

The next thing Alice knew, she was being restrained by Nightmare.

"Alice! Alice, what do you think you're doing? You don't understand the implications of what you just did!" Nightmare was livid; if Alice wasn't so shocked, she would have been a little afraid of his expression.

But alas, her face remained neutral. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks, but her expression was one of content. Because…

_I never have to return to my world again… I don't have to face him, his family… I'm **free**!_

This thought brought a smile to Alice's lips. Nightmare, now panting, was staring at her with a look of shock on his face. The game was proving too costly.

When the White Rabbit had asked him to connect to Alice's world, Nightmare was very wary of fulfilling his request. The game had rules, and the rules weren't meant to be easily broken. Even if he had a good enough reason, it would be another matter entirely for him to help the girl. If he wasn't careful, she could easily have destroyed Wonderland itself.

But when he saw Alice, he understood Peter's reasoning: She was broken. The dream demon understood that brining Alice into Wonderland would be good for her and the other roleholders. Or at least, he reasoned that was the case.

But now he knew he made a mistake. Alice was slowly losing what made her special to Wonderland, especially since she broke the vile.

Nightmare dared a glance at the other roleholders; every single one of them was shocked, but not nearly enough. Even Julius didn't understand the full implications of what Alice just did.

And as he looked at the White Rabbit, the one who started this all, he shivered involuntarily. Peter's eyes were glowing with an eerie light. If Nightmare didn't know any better, he would have thought that Peter was happy because she couldn't return to her world. But there was another reason entirely for his euphoric demeanor.

While Nightmare was staring at Peter like he was the plague, Boris dared to get closer to Alice. "Hey, Alice," he whispered, waving his hands in front of her face. "Alice?"

But the Alice they knew was lost. She was staring at Boris like he wasn't even there, like there was no one in the room but her.

That is, until Blood touched her.

Blood, feeling partially responsible (okay, majorly) wanted to help the outsider any way he was able. Sure, they didn't get along well in the past, but it was his fault for her breakdown. If he hadn't tried to force her, she would still be the happy, go-lucky girl that everyone loved.

But he couldn't change the past. Gathering all his courage, he placed his hand on Alice's shoulder and turned her towards him.

Once Blood was in her direct sight, Alice eyes widened and her smile turned into a grimace. Then, as though she was possessed, she began to utter incoherently and was attempting (failing) to remove Blood's hand.

When she saw that it was impossible to remove the Mafioso's hands, she placed her hands over her ears and began to scream. It was loud, banshee scream that made the other roleholders step back in fear.

Blood, more shocked than anyone else, removed his hand, and a look passed over his face as though Alice had slapped him. Which, mentally speaking, she had.

Nightmare glanced over; he had been so intent on Peter, he completely forgot about Alice. She was screaming like a child, fat tears streaming harder and harder down her cheeks.

That was when Gowland intervened. "Alright, everybody out! Give the little lady some space," and giving a pointed glare at the Mafioso, Gowland began to leave the tower. The other roleholders, who were so shocked by Alice's behavior, were shook out of their stupors enough to follow him out. Everybody left, except for Blood, Nightmare, and Julius.

Nightmare glared coldly at the mafia boss. "Look, why don't you go outside? I'll talk to you about this later." His voice had a note of finality in it, and reluctantly Blood left along with Julius.

Nightmare was still glaring even after Blood left. After a few moments, his gaze softened and he took Alice's head in his hands.

He began to speak to her like she was a young child; and, right before he was about to give up, Alice finally acknowledged him. Her eyes, holding an eerie blankness, slowly returned to their normal vibrancy until she finally looked up at Nightmare.

He exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding before he began talking to her, very softly, "Alice, are you okay?"

Alice stared up at him; in her eyes were sorrow, so much in fact her eyes looked dead. She responded, very quietly, "No, Nightmare; I'm not."

He was expecting her to begin crying again, but much to his relief, she stayed quiet. Too quiet, in fact. And that pained Nightmare more than anything in the world.

Even Peter couldn't… no, wouldn't… help Alice. Because deep, deep down, he knew Peter was sickly pleased with these turn of events.

He vowed, whatever the case, he would help Alice recover her precious heart.

XXX

The next few days were a blur for Alice. Once the shock of her breakdown had subsided, the roleholders (very reluctantly) left the Clock Tower, but that was fine with Alice.

She was at first mortified that everyone had seen her fall apart, but that feeling had quickly subsided. It was soon replaced by emptiness so large that Alice barely had enough energy to get out of bed in the morning.

Julius tried, multiple times, to get Alice to leave her room. But when he went to talk to her, she stared at him with horrific knowledge in her eyes, and that alone was enough for him to leave. He didn't know what to do with her.

Alice wasn't faring much better; every time she thought of Blood, of her meltdown, she dug her fingernails into her palm. Soon, it was her arm, then her stomach, and finally her neck. Angry red marks were scattered on her body, but she didn't care. Tears had run out long ago, and she could only inflict physical pain on herself.

One day, after nearly five days of being a hermit in her room, Julius had had enough. Throwing his tools on his workbench, he stormed into her room, ignoring her feeble protests of, "Don't come in."

As soon as he was over her bed, he slapped her. Hard. For once, instead of fear or remorse, Alice's expression was shocked, and she opened her mouth to offer a rebuttal. Julius cut her off.

"No, don't you say anything. Just listen." Alice's angry retort died on her lips with Julius' murderous tone. In fact, she involuntarily shivered, as she had never seen Julius so pissed before.

"I told myself, 'She'll come around eventually. Just give her time.' But it has been five days, and you haven't eaten anything, haven't drunk anything; hell, you haven't even left your room. And this," he gestured to the angry half-moon marks marring her body, "this is the last straw. You aren't staying in this room anymore, and that's final." Without waiting for a response, Julius grabbed Alice's body and slung her over his shoulder like she was a sack of potatoes.

Alice rallied her fists against his back, but Julius ignored her feeble attempts at escape before tossing her (unceremoniously) on a wooden chair located in his study.

Alice glared up at him; but Julius returned the glare with just as much (if not more) venom. After a silent stare down between the two, Alice finally tore away from his accusatory glance, finding something interesting in her hands.

Julius scowled; he wasn't an angry man by nature, but this was simply unacceptable.

"What do you want Julius?" Alice questioned softly. Her tone had an air of desperation in it; it pulled slightly at Julius' clock, but he quickly quelled the feelings.

Taking a deep breath, he answered her evenly, "I… I care about you Alice. Everyone does. Which is why you need to stop being so selfish and tell us what the hell is going on!" Towards the end of his outburst, his tone had taken on a desperate plea.

Alice was shocked into silence. Staring into Julius' eyes, she saw the earnest truth there.

Tears stung at her eyes, but she stubbornly rubbed them away. That was the first time Julius had been so blatantly honest with her and she was not about to ruin it with her tears.

And in reality, she was glad. Her expression softened a little bit and she regarded Julius happily. Why was she so adamant about forgetting it? Maybe… just maybe Julius would understand. Staring straight into his eyes, she replied unintelligibly, "I… I, um… th-thank you, I guess."

Julius' scowl softened into one of his very rare smiles. "You're welcome."

That was enough; Alice stood up, a little shaky, before grabbing Julius' arm and leading him outside.

Julius was confused, but he allowed the small outsider to guide him until they were at the top of the tower, where they had actually first met (not that Julius cared or anything).

For a moment, there was nothing but silence between the two; then Alice turned to Julius, a look of sheer determination on her face.

Sucking in a shaky breath, she asked Julius in the strongest tone she could manage…

"I think I'm ready to tell you what happened… back… back in my world."

**Okay, we're reaching our climax! Woot, woot! *hands out cyber cookies to those reading this chapter* I honestly was going to make this chapter much, MUCH longer, but I thought that this would be a good place to stop. Plus, I wanted to update once more before I headed to bed, so here it is. Don't worry though; I promise to stop being mean next chapter. SERIOUSLY! *hides from angry readers* I'm hoping to update tomorrow, but that all depends on the homework I get and the cleaning I have to do.**

**Okay, okay, I'll stop rambling. Please remember to review and favorite!**

**Also… **

_**To Lil Hamari: Yes, I'll continue this to the end! If everything goes according to plan, by this time next week I might possibly be done with this story. That would be a nice Thanksgiving gift, no?**_


	5. Chapter 5

**I… *sniffle*… I… THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! It means a lot to me, especially to those of you have even taken time to review more than once. Oh, you don't understand how happy I am… *gets sparkles in her eyes***

**Reviewers: O.o**

**Ahem… Well, let's just say that I am in an amazing mood right now. Hell, I couldn't wait to get home! Please enjoy this chapter while I sit and relish in the happiness.**

**DISCLAIMER: IF I WAS THE AMAZING MANGAKA OF HEART NO KUNI NO ALICE, IT SURE AS HELL WOULDN'T HAVE ENDED AT 36 CHAPTERS!**

**Chapter 5**

The first thought that came to Alice's mind was that she could always back out. And for almost a second, she almost did.

But when she stared at Julius, she realized that he was waiting. And Alice Liddel would be _damned_ if she backed out of telling him now, especially since she had the clockmaker's rare undivided attention.

Alice took a deep breath, running her hand through her hair as she did. "Huh… I know I told you that… but I'm not sure where to start…"

Julius sighed, but it was far from exasperation. "Why don't you try the beginning?"

Nodding Alice stepped back a few more steps until she was right against the rail of the tower. Then she spilled everything out.

"I… I guess it started when I was fifteen." She could distinctly remember the day she had met him.

_The day had started as an uneventful day for the middle child of the Liddel family. She had woken up, eaten breakfast, and helped her sister clean the house. Apparently, Lorina was expecting some guests later that night, but Alice wasn't privy to who they were._

_After a tiresome day of cleaning, Alice went inside to wash the sweat and grime off of her (per her sister's orders). She didn't really care either way if she was clean or not for the guests, but she decided to humor Lorina._

_Not too long after she was done with her shower, Lorina called her down._

"_Alice! Our guests are here!"_

_Giving an affirmative, Alice quickly went to change her clothes. As she was making her way to her room though, a realization struck her._

"_Crap! All my clean clothes are downstairs!" Mentally slapping herself at her stupidity, she quickly grabbed her robe and ran down the steps two at a time._

_Now, had it been normal circumstances, Alice would have been more careful as to where she was going. But alas, with her sister's persistent calls and the issue of having no clothes to wear, she was being a bit clumsier than usual. That was when her life was forever changed._

_Taking the last step with an exuberant jump, she rounded the corner but was stopped short when she collided with something._

_Cracking open an eye, the person in front of her took her breath away. It was a guy, no older than fifteen, who had jade black hair and stunning amethyst orbs. He was holding his side, and Alice was knocked out of her stupor when she realized he was bleeding._

"_I-I'm so sorry!" she yelled, quickly getting up and offering the beautiful stranger a hand. He stared at her hand as though it were a venomous snake before accepting it. _

"_It's alright," he laughed, though to be honest, he was a little ticked off that he got his favorite jacket dirty. But he quickly dispelled those feelings as his parents had always told him to show the absolute best hospitality to hosts. And, though the girl wasn't really beautiful, she was still kind of cute. He thought it would be best just to humor the younger Liddel._

"_No, I wasn't looking where I was going," Alice replied, glancing worriedly at his side. "Um… just let me grab some clothes and I'll help you get patched up, alright?" She turned around, but was stopped by a strong grip grabbing her wrist._

"_Like I said, it's fine. Just… just point me to the bathroom and I'll figure it out from there, okay?"_

_Alice, not trusting herself to speak, just nodded like a love sick schoolgirl. Which, in retrospect, she was._

_Pointing to her left, he gave his thanks and made his way to the bathroom. Unbeknownst to Alice, he left the scene with a smirk on his face. He had the perfect idea to get Lorina to notice him._

XXX

_Once the initial embarrassment had worn off, Alice made her way upstairs, listening to the guffawing of their guests._

_Now, by no means were the Liddels poor in any aspect, but listening to the talk of money from the dining room, Alice felt out of place. Whoever Lorina had invited, they sounded important._

"_Oh Alice!" Her sister's exuberant voice reached her ears before she actually saw everybody in the dining room. But once Alice did, she became inexplicably happy. Because, sitting right beside her empty seat, was the man from earlier who had stolen Alice's heart._

_Lorina noticed her sister's gaze and smiled beautifully. "Go ahead, sit down."_

"_Thanks, Lorina," she said, smiling at her caring older sister. How she got such a perfect sister as Lorina, she'd never know. _

"_Oh, is this your sister Lorina?" The question was asked by a gaudy looking woman with vibrant orange hair who was eyeing Alice critically over her wine glass. "Why, you never told me she was so cute!"_

_Alice blushed at the compliment before taking her seat. "No, I think you're mistaken."_

_The woman simply laughed. "Nonsense! Why, in a few years, you could easily be more beautiful than your sister!"_

_The man beside her, a gruff looking man with salt and pepper hair, took his wife by the hand and placed her wineglass on the table. "Leave the poor girl alone, Margaret. Let her eat first. Remember, we don't have all night."_

_His wife, Margaret, bobbed her head in agreement. "Well, why don't we get this started? The poor girl doesn't need to eat at the moment, after all." Alice ground her nails into her hand, deciding to ignore the comment about her weight. Noticing the few empty wine glasses on the table, she just assumed the poor woman was too drunk to be considerate._

_Her husband glared at her for a moment before clearing his throat and smiling at Alice. "Well, since Margaret brought it up, I guess now is just as good as later."_

_Grasping Alice's hand and her seat mate, he regarded them both seriously. "Son, Alice, what would you say to an arranged marriage?"_

_Alice smiled uncomfortably. "Um… for who, exactly?"_

"_Why you two, of course," came the drunken reply from Margaret._

"_What?" came the harried reply from both Alice and the noirette._

_Seeing her sister's reaction, Lorina quickly intervened. "I was going to tell you Alice, but I could never find the right time. And then I thought, 'I bet it will make a wonderful surprise!'" She clapped her hands together in her giddiness, and then added, a tad softer, "Plus, father was very adamant you marry into the prestigious Sterling family. And you know how father can be."_

_Alice nodded her head; of course she knew how her father was. He was a drunken widow who was still grieving for his dead wife Cecilia and didn't care much for the three daughters he had reared up. In fact, he sometimes got so drunk, he left dark marks on his daughters (Alice in particular). The fact that he was taking an interest in her life was amazing indeed._

"_Uh… I-I guess it's alright. But to be honest, I don't even know his name."_

_Margaret laughed, waving her hand in the air. "Ah, you'll learn it as we prepare for the wedding. Now come: give your new mother-in-law a hug."_

_Alice obliged, but for the life of her, she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was going to happen._

XXX

_The next six months rushed about in a blur as Alice was busy preparing for her wedding. Flower arrangements, dress fittings, creating a guess list… she only had until the eve of her sixteenth birthday to attend to it all. But she wasn't alone._

_Margaret, her fiancé's mother and wedding planner extraordinaire, was eager to help. She picked out multiple dresses for Alice to try on, gave her professional opinion on the flowers, and even helped Alice become accustomed to those who should be at the wedding._

"_Oh, darling, you're going to want to invite some nobles to your wedding; they love such events and can be quite generous in their gifts." One of the other things Alice noticed about her soon to be mother-in-law was that she was a money grubbing witch, whose only concern was making a profit out of Alice's wedding. Though it irked Alice a little bit, she was still happy that Margaret was willing to help her plan._

_That wasn't the only thing that made her happy though. As the months progressed, Alice realized what a sweet guy her fiancé was. He was always very courteous and chivalrous, but he had a teasing side that could make Alice blush all the way to the tips of her toes. She fell more and more in love with him each day._

_Everything seemed to be going perfect. She loved her fiancé, her family was supporting her to the best of their abilities, and the wedding was only two weeks away._

_Now, as such things go, an old tradition stood in the Sterling family that the bride and groom could not consecrate until the eve of their wedding. That didn't stop them though._

_The wedding was nearly a week away, and her fiancé said he was tired of waiting. Pulling Alice to the side, he whispered hungrily in her ear…_

"_I want you."_

_Alice felt her heartbeat increase tenfold, and she returned the sentiment with as much lust. "I want you too."_

_He smiled; it was a predator's grin, one that Alice never really noticed before. But she just assumed that he was looking forward to their wedding._

_Which is why she was surprised when he said: "Tonight Alice. Let me make you mine… tonight." Then, with one sweet kiss that would lead to what was to come, he promised to meet Alice at eleven o'clock in her bedroom. When she expressed her worries about his family, he merely laughed it off and told her that his mother was drunk by that time, and his father was always trying to make she didn't kill herself._

_Alice couldn't wait for that night. But still, something was bugging her. She just couldn't figure out what._

XXX

_Nearly five hours later, Alice was lying broken on her bed, holding her knees to her chest. They had had sex, sure, but as soon as it was over, he left, saying it was a mistake. That hurt Alice most of all._

_So she wasn't surprised when he cancelled the wedding the day before. His mother, Margaret, was furious; she even went as far as threatening to cut him off from his trust fund. However, her husband calmed her down and instead sent on of the dirtiest looks Alice had ever seen at Lorina. Her sister, being the proper lady that she was, lowered her head and accepted his silent rebuke. _

_For the next few days, the Liddel household was busy with cancelling entertainment, returning Alice's dress, and apologizing to the multiple irate guests who had ventured in a day early. It was all tiresome, but it was for the best; it helped Alice keep her mind off of her rejection._

_Nearly a month passed after the scandalous night, and Alice still could not shake off him. In a way, she still loved him, even though he had used and abused her in his lustful ways._

_Lorina noticed how her sister was acting; more distant, more reserved, angrier. It reminded her of when their mother had passed away and when their father had started to drink his liquors every night until he was a shadow of himself._

_And truth be told, Lorina was angry with the young man who had broken Alice's heart. She was always taught that it was not a lady's place to hold a grudge, but that didn't matter to her anymore._

_She decided to take matters into her own hands._

XXX

_The next few weeks, the elder Liddel called for the Sterling family numerous times. Each letter was either responded by Margaret and her fury or it was simply sent back to the household. _

_But in order for her plan to work, she was going to have to be more persistent. Which is why the elder sister decided to go to the Sterling estate in order to talk the son._

_As she left the house, she was unaware of the tearful eyes watching her leave the house. Nor was she aware of the pair of feet following her the entire way there. _

XXX

_By the time Lorina was able to get to the Sterling residence, the sun was nearly setting and town was uncannily quiet._

_Looking up to the enormous mansion the family owned, Lorina felt a pang of jealousy. It was a large, gothic structure with pristine Victorian windows and multiple apple trees around the walkway. No wonder her father was so adamant that Alice marry into this family._

_Shaking her head, Lorina took the last few steps to the door and used the ancient knockers to signal her arrival. After a few moments, the door was opened and Lorina couldn't believe her luck._

_Standing there right in front of her was the eldest son of the Sterling's. He was wearing a simple black turtleneck which complimented his face nicely and Lorina found herself blushing._

_Getting a grip on herself, she opened her mouth to speak when he cut her off._

"_What do you want?" His tone was accusatory and a little angry, but his eyebrows wiggled in a suggestive way. "Possibly me?"_

_Now, Lorina was no fool; she was well aware of his interest in playing with women, but despite that, he made Alice happy. Who was she to take away her sister's only comfort when she was only going by reputation?_

_Lorina glared the fiercest glare she could muster. "I came to talk to you. Just talk," she quickly added, seeing his face light up at the innuendo. Scowling a bit, he moved his hand across his body._

"_So talk."_

_Lorina spilled it all out; how she couldn't believe how cruel he was being, how Alice was becoming more distant because of the break-up, how he should accept her back. He stared at her in rapt attention before suddenly laughing._

"_I would never take that stupid whore of a sister back."_

_Lorina saw red; grabbing his shirt, she brought his face merely inches from her own. She could only guess how her mother would be rolling in her grave seeing her daughter acting like such a Neanderthal, but she didn't care. She was about to give this man a piece of her mind._

"_How dare you! How can you say that about Alice? You were engaged to her, for God's sake!" When she saw how little of an effect that had on him, she faced her head down and pushed him away._

"_Just… just forget it. Clearly you're still an infant. Alice deserves better than that." Raising her head, she slapped his face hard as tears gathered at her eyes. She was shocked when he grabbed her wrist and brought it away from his face as his face contorted into something Lorina didn't recognize._

"_You want to know why I can't take her back? It's because I LOVE YOU!" _

_For a second, Lorina could do nothing but blink in surprise. Then, taking her other hand, she slapped him across the face again._

"_You think that's reason enough? If you really loved me or were any type of man, then you would have done what was morally right." And with that final exclamation, Lorina turned her back on the man, not realizing this was the last time she would ever see him._

XXX

_When Alice saw Lorina leaving, she was actually quite curious. For the last few weeks, Lorina had been acting strange and Alice feared she was being too obvious in her depression. So, she grabbed her coat and followed her sister, being careful not to be spotted. Lorina probably wouldn't do what she was planning if she knew she had an audience._

_After at least thirty minutes of skulking through the shadows, Lorina finally stopped at a large gothic mansion with huge lion knockers on the door. Alice gasped when she realized where she was._

_A small part of her wanted to run away so she didn't have to see him. But her curiosity won out and she quickly concealed herself behind a tree close to the door._

_As she listened to the conversation, she could just hear his taunting smirk as he flirted with Lorina. Her anger, having been repressed from her sadness, boiled over one hundred fold. Hot, angry tears cascaded down her cheeks and she bit her hand to keep from crying out in rage._

_However, her body went stock still when she heard the sound of skin hitting skin. Daring a glance from behind the tree, she saw Lorina's hand being restrained by his larger one. Then the sentence that haunted the rest of her life was said._

"_You want to know why I can't take her back? It's because I LOVE YOU!"_

_Her tears stopped and a pleasant numbness coated her body. Oh, how many times he had said that to her, only to now be saying it to her sister. Her heart ached in more ways than one along with a certain other body part. _

_And with this hurt, she realized the lucid truth of the situation: He was using her. He was and always had been using her. She was so wrapped up in this shocking realization that she didn't even notice Lorina had left._

_She shook her head. No, no, NO… it couldn't be true. But as she thought about it, the doubt was cast._

_Wiping her face, Alice stepped out from behind the tree._

XXX

_Alice stared at him, wondering what she had ever seen in him. After hearing the truth from his own mouth, he looked so much uglier; not at all like the angel she'd seen that night._

_Once he saw Alice, he paled considerably. Pulling his hand through his hair, he sighed loudly before turning to glare at the newly arriving Liddel._

"_You heard your sister right?" he asked, his faced contorting into a more desperate look. "I won't take you back."_

_Alice flinched as though he had physically slapped her; then, slowly regaining her bearings, she leapt for him._

_Her ex-fiancé was completely unprepared for the onslaught known as Alice Liddel. She showed no mercy; aiming for his eyes, his groin, his stomach, and finally his kidneys. He was on the ground before he could even try to defend himself. _

_Once on the ground, Alice straddled him and, as though in a trance, placed both her hands over his neck. Slowly he lost his color until his eyes were nothing but blank disks staring up at her._

_Alice was breathing heavily; then she let out a blood-curdling scream._

XXX

By the time Alice was done with her recollection, she was on the ground crying uncontrollably. Her hands were scraping themselves raw as they continued to dig into the concrete.

Julius was in shock. In all of his years as a roleholder, he had never heard something so terrible. Sure, people killed each other in Wonderland numerous times, but it was indiscriminately. There was no reason to most of the deaths that occurred there.

But staring at the foreigner, he realized something else: He wanted to believe that she was completely innocent. He didn't want to believe that the small, crying girl who made him coffee and had nearly all of the roleholders falling in love with her was a murderer.

Rushing over to the sniffling girl, Julius, for once forgetting his vow to never touch people, grabbed her shoulders and held the outsider as she wept.

**Okay, we're done with this chapter! It took me so long to write this, but I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. Think of it as my thank you gift to those of you who reviewed/favorited/alerted. It means so much to me! Also, just to let you know, her ex has no name in this fic. I don't like it when authors give him a name that sounds stupid. Simple as that.**

**Also, sorry if I rushed the death scene. But that's what rewrites are for, no?**

**Now, onto the reviews:**

_**To Lil Hamari: Thank you for the review and sealing? I don't know what that means, but I'll take it as a compliment. **_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: Yes, hopefully this long chapter gives you your dose.**_

**Please remember to review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THIS WONDERFUL MANGA! OR VOCALOID, OR ANIME, OR ANY OTHER OF MAN'S GREATEST INVENTIONS!**

**Chapter 6**

It was nearly two days since Alice had spilled her guts out to Julius.

It was nearly two days since Alice went and cried herself raw.

It was nearly two days since she felt so relieved.

And now, Alice was on her way to the Amusement Park.

You see, after Julius finished comforting Alice, the Cheshire cat decided to stop in unannounced. Or at least, Alice was told. She was long asleep when he came to talk to her, but was just as glad. She couldn't imagine herself facing him (or the other roleholders) until she was able to get a grip on herself.

Anyway, once she woke up the next morning, Julius told her that Boris wanted her to visit the amusement park as soon as she was feeling better. But first, he had her doing all sorts of work around the tower.

This, he assured her, was just that so he could make sure she was back to her old self. But being forced to wear a ridiculous maid outfit (hey, Julius was a man) and simply everything he had her cleaning was a little ridiculous. Dusting the mouse holes, extirpating the numerous very few weeds on his stone steps, and making him cup after cup of coffee were only a few of the odd chores Alice was required to do.

It probably didn't help matters when she found out that it was Ace's idea, not Julius', to have her clean the tower and wear the ostentatious maid costume (did you honestly think Julius would have that kind of fetish?).

That was the final straw. Throwing down her sixtieth cup of coffee she had made him that morning, she rushed to her room and hurriedly left the tower, her favorite blue dress buffeting in the wind.

But there was another reason she was going. She wanted, no needed, to apologize to the roleholders for her behavior the other day. It mortified her to probably have them thinking she was a crazy, psychotic girl.

She was close to the park now. She could clearly see the spires and whirling structures of the multiple rides Gowland owned.

Then suddenly everything went dark. She sighed; though she should have already gotten used to this aspect of Wonderland, it was still annoying when the time changed unexpectedly.

Alice was also annoyed with something else; it was so dark she wasn't able to see. The blackness was suffocating, quickly covering and smothering her with its intensity.

_Click._

Alice's eyes widened. That sounded like… the click of a gun.

"Why did you betray me, Alice?" The voice asked, its familiarity sending chills up Alice's spine. He wouldn't be…

But before Alice could ponder who it was any further, her world went black with the feeling of a bullet through her heart.

The last thing she remembered were the red eyes leering down at her from behind the gun.

**Okay, so this chapter is much shorter than the others simply because the one yesterday was so long. As a reminder, I probably won't be able to update tomorrow because I'll only be home for two hours before I have to go somewhere, and that time will be dedicated to homework However, I should be able to update Thursday because I have nothing to do that night.**

**Well, I'm done ranting now. Please remember to review!**

**Speaking of which:**

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: Thank you! Since dialogue isn't really my strong suit, I'm glad you like the plot.**_

_**To ThePandaHat: Ask and you shall receive my friend.**_


	7. Chapter 7

***INSERT WITTY, EPIC DISCLAIMER HERE***

**Chapter 7**

"_Why did you betray me, Alice?" The voice asked, its familiarity sending chills up Alice's spine. He wouldn't be…_

_But before Alice could ponder who it was any further, her world went black with the feeling of a bullet through her heart._

_The last thing she remembered were the red eyes leering down at her from behind the gun._

XXX

A shiver passed over Boris' skin. Sniffing the air, he felt his blood go cold as the scent reached his nose.

It smelled like… but why would Alice be bleeding?

Yelling out a shaky, "I'll be right back!" Boris raced across the amusement park, ignoring the giddy calls of the workers as he passed.

That was when he ran into Peter.

Peter, who was covered in blood, was standing at the entrance of the park, his eyes sparkling maniacally. It was an expression Boris had never seen on the White Rabbit.

Grabbing his gun, he aimed it at Peter's chest. "Don't move!" he yelled, but his voice was still shaking. When Peter ignored him and stepped closer, Boris got a whiff of the blood on the rabbit.

And this sent him into a blind fury.

Clutching his gun tighter to his chest, he charged at Peter. But Peter simply smiled; aiming his gun with deadly precision, he aimed it at Boris.

But the shot went wild and Boris was able to roll before aiming his gun at Peter's chest. Shooting once, twice, three times, he hit the man in the arm and both his legs respectively. He went down, but not before taking something down with him.

Or more specifically, _somebody._

It was Alice, her dress covered with blood and her once beautiful chestnut hair coated was twisted into knots. She looked like hell and the fact she was wheezing wasn't helping matters.

Rushing forward, he knelt beside Alice, being careful to avoid the injured rabbit, pulled her into his chest and began to apply pressure to her wounds.

Now, Boris wasn't the best in this expertise, but he had patched himself enough times (with Alice's goading) to understand the basic medical procedure. But even as he applied pressure, more blood fell out of the outsider's body, coating the Cheshire cat's hands. The smell was nauseating and the sight was horrendous, but he held fast, for he feared he'd lose her if he didn't.

But the truth was becoming clearer: Alice wouldn't survive unless she got help. Letting loose all of his pent up rage and anger, he yelled: "Help! Somebody, help me save Alice!"

XXX

A sliver of fear passed through Nightmare's body. The feeling was odd, but it wasn't unfamiliar.

_Alice__…_ he thought, his gaze turning desperate. He was afraid of this.

When Alice had broken down and shattered the vile, Nightmare hadn't been just overreacting. In actuality, he had every right to worry about the outsider.

Because without the vile, Alice was no longer just loved by the roleholders. They were required to love her, as it was part of the game. But a game cannot be played without players, hmm?

But what he hadn't been expecting was how quickly she had been attacked.

Running his hand through his hair, he disappeared into the outsider's dreams.

XXX

The world was ending. At least, Alice thought it was, with how all the colors were blurring together.

First she saw red, which morphed into a more sinister scarlet, which finally morphed into a snow white that seemed to be so erratic in its shape.

The colors hurt Alice's eyes, and she attempted to close them. But something called out inside her and warned her that if she did, she probably wouldn't open them again.

So, she lay there, motionless, as the colors became more and more visible. But they were retreating, retreating to a vibrant, pink blur located in the darkness.

Something was comforting about the blur; something seemed to call out to her as she stared at it.

But the red was so persistent; it was soon completely overlapping the comforting pink light, and Alice felt something inside her snap.

Staggering up, her body was in autopilot as she leapt for the red blur. It took no notice of her, but she was glad. She didn't want to look into the red and see everything; all her mistakes, all her happiness, all her fear. This propelled her forward as she connected with the red blur.

It was soon shaking with the tremors that signaled the end.

Smiling slightly, Alice closed her eyes as weariness passed over her mutilated body.

She never noticed the sound of clock, so close in proximity, clicking away as it signaled the end.

_Tick-tock, __tick-tock_.

**Okay, I lied, I'm updating again today too! I just love this story so much to not update it. SCREW HOMEWORK!**

**I'M SO SORRY I MADE PETER THE BAD GUY! *Hides from angry fangirls and their pitchforks* IT FIT IN WITH THE PLOT! I SWEAR!**

**Ahem…**

**Now that's out of the way, I hope this chapter had enough suspense to keep you interested. I was getting really into it, and hope it didn't disappoint.**

**Thank you for the review and alerts! I'll go back to talking to those who reviewed next chapter.**

**Oh, and please remember to review! It makes my day (seriously).**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: MY NAME WOULD BE FAMOUS IF I OWNED HEART NO KUNI NO ALICE! **

**Chapter 8**

_As soon as the deed was done, reality crashed over Alice. The shocking realization of what she had just done formed a maniacal smile on her face. Then, a wave of hysterical laughter burst out._

_It started out soft, almost like coughing, before continuing into loud guffaws that finally erupted into bitter tears. _

_Grasping her wrists, she pulled back and was sitting beside the still warm corpse as salty water dripped down her face._

_She had killed him, and she was glad._

_Glad for the fact that he couldn't lie to her anymore, couldn't withhold his love from her, couldn't stare at her as though she was trash. She was so happy._

_But even as she felt the euphoria, something else seemed to be gnawing at the sides of her contentment, something sinister. Something needed._

_She recognized the feeling almost immediately; it was remorse._

_And as she made that shocking revelation, more tears streamed down her face. The truth had finally set in._

_She still loved him, loved the man that broke her heart. And that made her angry._

_Adjusting herself over his corpse, she began to lay her fists into his body, reason having abandoned her. She just hit him as she was able, anywhere she was able. By the time she was done, her breathe was coming out wild and erratic. _

_Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she knew (from the multiple medical textbooks she had read) that she was having a panic attack. She also knew she was supposed to try and take deep breathes, but the knowledge wasn't helping her now. In fact, she seemed to be getting worse as time progressed._

_Minutes, hours; Alice wasn't sure how much time past, but she was finally able to take control of her body. It had taken its toll though; she felt her body go limp as she fell into the mud, weary but still conscious._

_She wished she wasn't though when she heard the saddened tone of her sister speak, "Alice?"_

_Glancing over, she smiled weakly, but it came out as insane with the mud covering her body. Lorina looked appalled; but she quickly gathered herself together and rushed to attend to her sister, being all too wary of the corpse right beside her. _

_Crouching down, she rolled Alice over and with a somewhat scrutinizing look, she noticed Alice was relatively unharmed. She breathed out a sigh of relief._

_But it was short lived as she remembered the corpse. Daring a glance over, he would've looked like he was sleeping; that is, if he didn't sleep with his eyes open and have insidious purplish bruises on his neck. And his eyes… they were so blank, so eerily calm, but not quite peaceful. It was almost like he was accusing her for not watching Alice closer._

_Lorina couldn't bear to look at those eyes; grabbing a handkerchief out of her right pocket, she placed it over the unseeing eyes before returning her attention back to Alice. One of the questions that surfaced in her mind was, 'Why is she here?' Last Lorina remembered, Alice had been at the house still holed away in her room. How had she gotten here?_

"_Lorina," the voice snapped Lorina out of her musings. Leaning over Alice, she answered in her sweetest voice possible…_

"_Alice? What happened?"_

_But she immediately wished she hadn't. Because, as soon as she asked Alice, a pain so indescribable covered her face, causing her eyes to become wide. She looked like she had seen hell and back._

"_I-I killed him," Alice whispered, her body shaking as she admitted it. "It was me."_

_Lorina barely heard her. "What was that, Alice?" she asked, her eyes meandering over to the corpse._

"_Ikilledhim," she quickly spoke. But again Lorina didn't hear her._

"_Alice…"_

" _I SAID I KILLED HIM, DAMMIT!" Alice screeched as her pained face transformed into something animalistic._

_Then, as quickly as the change occurred, her face became emotionless. Lorina was shocked; she had felt, on some level, that Alice had done this, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. Now there was no doubt._

_Lorina stared hard at Alice; then, taking her hands, she placed them around Alice's slightly shaking shoulders. "Oh, Alice!" she cried, tears streaming down her face as she clutched onto her sister like a lifeline. "I—," hiccup, "I should have been there for you! I'm so sorry!"_

_Alice turned her head away from her sister's, urging herself not to cry. But soon even her own tears were falling and she was hugging Lorina as hard as she could._

_After what seemed like an eternity, the Liddel sisters pulled away from each other, each eyes still puffy from crying. _

_And without another word, Lorina picked Alice up and began to take her home, her mind all ready to put this nightmare behind them. She never realized she had forgotten her handkerchief on the dead corpse._

XXX

_The next few days were quiet around the household. No wedding planners, no nobles, no fiancés… everyone who had seemed to have a permanent residence was no longer there. It was all good for the two sisters though; they didn't really want to be around people anyway, especially after the sullied night from so long ago._

_It was peaceful, in a way; but they knew that the peace wouldn't be able to last forever. _

_Still, they hoped; doing mundane things like playing cards, gardening, and cleaning, they were able to forget about the mistake, if only for a time. _

_Every day, however, they checked the daily newspapers, expecting to see their folly in harsh, black lettering. But after nearly five days, there was still nothing and they allowed themselves to hope that maybe the body wouldn't be found. _

_But their hopes were crushed when one day, a detective named Ciel Rogerson came to the door. He was an older looking man, with grayish hair and the eyes of a killer. Alice shivered; is that what she looked like to everyone else?_

"_Hello, is the man of the house in? My name is Ciel Rogerson and I work with the local police department and would like to ask a few questions about a recent murder that took place not too far from here." When Alice didn't answer, he clicked his tongue in impatience. "Look girl, just go get your father alright?"_

_She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Closing the door, she quickly made her way to Lorina's room._

"_Sister?" she asked, opening the door without bothering to knock._

_Lorina blinked. "Alice? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."_

_Alice shook her head. "Lorina, there's a police officer her wishing to speak with father. He said… he said it was about a murder that took place not too far from here."_

_Lorina's mouth was set into a tight line. Then, finally she answered, "Let me go talk to him. But first," she walked past Alice and went into their father's study, before coming out with a beautiful sapphire necklace._

_Alice gasped; it was their mother's necklace, the one their father had given to her on their anniversary night. "Sister…?"_

"_Look, I'll pretend to be the lady of the house. Come with me, and address me as mother."_

_Alice nodded, but was skeptical that the plan would work. But she kept her doubts to herself and followed Lorina out of the room._

_Lorina opened the door, showing a very irate detective standing there. Turning towards Alice, she pretended to reprimand her by saying, "Alice! What have your father and I said about letting guests stand out in the cold? It's rude!"_

_Her sister's stern tone sounded ridiculous, but Alice was trying her hardest to keep a straight face. "I must have forgotten Sis—Mother." _

_The officer narrowed his eyes; but before he could say anything, Lorina hurriedly led him into the house._

"_Come come! I'm sure you must be tired of standing there." He grunted, and she took that as a sign to continue. "My, you've come at a rather unpleasant time; my husband is out at the moment, but if you'd be willing to talk to me, I'll try and be of whatever assistance I can."_

_He suddenly stopped. "Look, no offense to you Mistress, but what I've come to discuss probably isn't appropriate for a woman's ear. I'll just come back at another time." He turned to leave when Lorina uttered a sentence that stopped him cold._

"_Oh, I hope everyone is alright; especially the young Sterling boy."_

_The officer turned around, incredulity on his face. "What did you just say?"_

_Lorina furrowed her brow as though she was surprised. "Oh! I'm sorry, I must have been speaking out loud again! Please, it wasn't my place to say something like that!" She bowed quickly, and Alice had to admit, her sister was a pretty damn great actor._

_He stopped himself. "Please, ma'am, I won't get mad; just repeat what you said."_

_Lorina bit her lower lip; then, she spoke very hurriedly, as though she was embarrassed to say such things. "Well, you see, my daughter here was engaged to him. An arranged marriage as you know. But while they were preparing for the wedding, his mother, an awful woman who hit him on more than one occasion, went berserk. She threatened to disown him."_

_Now Detective Rogerson looked interested. "Do you have any idea why?"_

"_Ah, mercy me; I think I've said too much as it is. I wouldn't want her to get in trouble."_

_Rogerson shook his head. "No, please ma'am, it could possibly help me solve a murder."_

_Lorina looked at him as though she still wasn't sure. "Well…"_

_That was when Alice perked up. "Mother, tell him why you're worried about Master Sterling." The title brought a sour taste to Alice's mouth; but she ignored that in hope that the detective would leave soon._

_Lorina nodded. "Well, she was saying something about him fooling around with whorish women. She called him a disgrace."_

_A strange look passed over Rogerson's face. Then, turning to Alice, he said, "Young miss, were you aware of him with these other women?" His tone was commandeering._

_Alice blinked nervously; then she answered as truthfully as she could, "No, I didn't find out about his infidelity until after the marriage was null." She rubbed her head embarrassedly as the detective continued to stare at her. "I must have been at the bathroom at that time."_

_He nodded, but he didn't look entirely convinced. Before he could respond to Alice, though, Lorina stepped in._

"_I'm sorry if this seems rather bold of me, but what exactly happened to Master Sterling? I heard you say murder…"_

_He sighed. Then after a moment's hesitation, he replied, "He was unfortunately murdered nearly a week ago; someone strangled the poor lad to death."_

_Lorina gasped melodramatically; but Alice found herself reacting with brittleness to the news. It felt odd having someone else talking about your actions like you weren't even there. But then again, nobody (save for Lorina) knew what she had done._

"_Well, I best be going know. I'm sorry I have to cut this short, but there are a few other residents I would like to talk to before the sun sets. If you'll excuse me," and with that, he left._

_Alice felt herself fall to her knees. Her nerves came back tenfold once the officer left. _

_Lorina shook her shoulder. "Alice? Hey, don't fall apart on me now."_

_Alice nodded absently; then, with the help of Lorina, she got up and headed to her room._

XXX

_The next few days were lived in fear. Both Alice and her sister were afraid of the officer coming back. But after nearly two weeks, they began to think they were in the clear. After all, if the police had found anything pertaining to them, wouldn't they have already come back?_

_However, this belief was shattered when one day when Alice and Lorina were greeted at the door by a large group of people. Though none of them carried weapons, the aura was enough to kill. Alice took an unintentional step back._

_Lorina rushed out. "By the devil, what is going on here?" The crowd simply glared at the newcomer, before turning the malicious glares back to Alice. _

_That was when she heard that voice. _

_The voice, so pristine clear it was hard to recognize at first, belonged to no one other than Margaret. She was standing in the center of the mob, her eyes holding unexpressed fury as she stared at the younger Liddel. Alice gulped._

"_Well, if it isn't the little whore," she sneered, her voice cold and angry. "I thought you would have been out of town by now." When Alice didn't answer, Margaret laughed. "Ha! So scared girl that the cat has got your tongue?"_

_Alice, through some miracle, found her voice. "W-what are you doing here, Mistress Sterling?"_

_Margaret's eyes grew cold. "Mistress Sterling? MISTRESS STERLING?" She leapt for Alice as she screamed at her, grabbing her hazel hair and yanking her up. Alice cried out in pain._

_Margaret was laughing hysterically. "How dare you—you selfish, undignified whore! Call me by my title? Why, you have no reason to!" Snarling closer to Alice's face, she glared at her, murder clear in her eyes. "You know, don't you? About my son, how he died…" She stopped talking as hiccups wracked her body. Then, in a quieter voice, she said, "You killed him, didn't you? You took away my son."_

_Alice's eyes widened and her face paled. How did she know?_

_But before she could say anything, a loud voice yelled over the roar of Margaret._

"_Everybody! Rioting is against the law! If you aren't out of here in a one minute, you're all subject to be arrested!"_

_Panic rose about the crowd; then, they all dispersed, leaving only Margaret, Alice, and Lorina outside the house. Margaret dropped Alice, disgust clear on her face. If looks could kill, she would be dying a thousand times over. _

"_And you!" The voice stepped forward, revealing it to be no one other than Ciel Rogerson, the detective who had spoken with Lorina and Alice earlier in the month. "You're under arrest for the formation and execution of a mob!"_

_Margaret paled; then she yelled out, "But she's the MURDERER!" Pointing her finger at Alice, she continued to scream, "Murderer! How dare you take away my son! I hope you rot in hell!"_

_Alice flinched as though Margaret had physically hit her, but stood her ground. She would not lose to this woman._

_Staring straight into her eyes, she growled out, "I never killed him. Why don't you go look for the real murderer instead of accusing me?"_

_Alice was sick to how easily the lie rolled off her tongue, but she held firm. _

_Then, in one final act of fury, Margaret leapt for Alice, retching free of Rogerson's grip. She pulled her fist back as though she was going to punch her. Alice waited for the blow…_

_But it never came._

_Instead, she heard the sound of skin on skin as Lorina stepped in front of her, taking the full brunt of the blow. Her eyes were downcast, but her body was solid._

_Margaret reared back. Then she burst out sobbing as she stared at Lorina's face. It was bruising a nice yellowish color, but the determination in Lorina's eyes was staggering._

_Rogerson grabbed onto Margaret. "Let's go, ma'am." And with that, he led her away._

XXX

_The day after the mob incident, Lorina's face still looked terrible. Alice felt her heartstrings plucked as she stared at her beautiful sister's face._

"_Sister…" but Lorina held out her hands and placed a smile on her face._

"_Alice, don't worry; it's only a bruise." But even as she said that, Alice felt all responsible. After all, it wasn't like Margaret was wrong in her assumptions._

_Shaking, Alice ran out of the house, ignoring the feeble calls from Lorina._

XXX

_When she stopped running, she came upon a clearing. It was small, sure, but it was quaint; it was where she played at all the time when she was a child. Nobody ever came to it._

_But fate didn't seem to be smiling in her favor; because, sitting right underneath her favorite oak tree was a young man, no older than her sister, with striking ruby eyes and an unruly mob of white hair. The most shocking about his appearance though were the two white rabbit ears perched atop his head. He looked to be deep in thought._

_As soon as he saw Alice though, he leapt up and ran towards her, smothering her in a hug._

_She fought against him, but he was proving too strong. Giving up, she screamed as loud as she could, but was cut off when a surprisingly human hand was placed over her mouth._

_Fear was in her eyes; what would he do? Rape her? Kill her? She began to shake, and he took notice of it._

"_Oh~ I'm so terribly sorry! I guess I forgot my manners!" Setting Alice down (but still keeping a hand on her wrist) he said, "My name's Peter. Peter White. What's yours?"_

_Alice stared at the strange fellow before replying unsurely, "Its Alice. And, um—could you let me go?"_

_Peter blinked; then he let out a light sound of laughter. "Ah, I guess it won't hurt." Taking his hand off of Alice, he was unprepared when she began to run away from him._

"_Oi!" he yelled, clearly distressed. But instead of chasing after her, he called out:_

"_I found your handkerchief."_

_Alice stopped cold in her tracks. What did he mean handkerchief?_

_He smiled, but it definitely didn't reach his eyes. Then, digging out of his pocket, he showed her a simple white handkerchief. Alice recognized it instantly._

_It was Lorina's, but why such a man like this had it, she didn't know. Peter, noticing the confused look in Alice's eyes, said, "I found this at the crime scene."_

_Her entire world went spinning, and Alice fell to her knees, uncannily aware of the rabbit approaching her slowly._

_Leaning down, he smiled, "You were so cool! I wouldn't have been able to do it better myself!"_

_He sounded almost proud, Alice thought. Croaking out a shaky, "What?" she stared deep into his eyes._

"_You heard me correctly, Alice. I admire you," and with that, he leaned forward and kissed her. She was too tired to fight back._

_Then, pulling away, he whispered, "Would you like to get away from here? I can take you away from all your worries. But if I do, it has to be a secret."_

_Alice's eyes widened; then staring up at him, she asked, "Where? Where could you possibly take me?"_

"_Wonderland," he whispered, a soft smile on his face. "My home… and possibly yours as well."_

_Alice stared up at him, thinking him crazy. She had never heard of a Wonderland before. Glaring, she asked, "And where would that be?"_

_He blinked a few times before answering her giddily, "Oh, here and there, anywhere really. Just say yes and I can take you there." He held out his hand expectantly._

_Alice stared, still unsure; but then, what did she really have to lose? Her sister and the community would be better off without her._

_Grasping his hand, she stared into his deep, red pools. "And all I have to do is keep this a secret?"_

_He smiled. "Yes, our secret." He almost looked dazed at the sound._

_But Alice was too far gone to care. Grabbing his hand, she uttered a "Let's go" before having him lead her to Wonderland._

XXX

_By the time Alice returned home, she remembered nothing: Wonderland, the murder, the mob… all of it was pushed to the back of her mind._

**Whew! Another long chapter guys! I'm actually really proud of this one. But there are a few things I would like to address…**

**Whenever I thought of when Alice was alive, I always imagined her in 1800s England or current day Japan. This story takes place in England. Also, I didn't research for this chapter, so if I'm wrong (which is bound to happen) please forgive me.**

**Whoever said that he fell in love with Alice for all the right reasons?**

**Please review!**

**Reviews of the week:**

_**To Yoruko Rhapsodos: To be honest, he isn't my favorite either. I'm definitely more for Ace or Boris.**_

_**To movielover9: I'm glad that you enjoyed it.**_

_**To****ThePandaHat:****Only ****a ****few ****more ****chapters ****till ****the** **end.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**Woot woot! Alright guys, I hate to say this, but there's probably only three (possibly four) chapters left in this story. I originally wasn't planning on making this story this long, but with all of your wonderful reviews, I'm glad it turned out like this. Thank you! And please, enjoy the chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THIS KICK-ASS MANGA! I ONLY OWN THE PLOT AND POSSIBLE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTS!**

**Chapter 9**

Peter was glad.

Even after he had lost, he was glad.

Why?

Now, what a silly question; really, you should know the answer by now. Peter was happy… because Alice could never leave him again.

He remembered when he had taken her to Wonderland after learning about the murder. She was sullied, broken, and unclean—but perfect for Peter. He wasn't much better and it brought a smile to his face to know there was someone just as messed up as him.

Of course, he didn't know Alice all that well in her own world. But he had seen her as she took away that disgusting piece of filth that had simply tossed her aside.

He remembered the look of indescribable fury on her face as she attacked him; the sloppy execution of her moves that spoke to him like poetry; and the final cherry on top when she choked the life out of that bastard. He knew that he was in love with her then.

But he also knew that Alice would've been less likely to come with him. She would've been scared, nervous, so Peter decided to wait. He was so glad he did.

Now Alice's heart belonged in Wonderland. She couldn't return, even she if she wanted to.

Peter smiled; the clicking of a clock was probably one of the most comforting things he had heard that day. Smiling, he closed his eyes as oblivion took over.

XXX

Nightmare felt himself being drawn to the outsider. He felt the familiar tug and pull of her subconscious as he descended into the dark space between alive and not.

Soon he came across the familiar shape of Alice, curled up into a ball with her hands around her legs. Her face was disastrously pale and she was breathing heavily.

Nightmare felt himself pick up his pace until he was right beside the outsider. Placing his hand over her heart, he heard what he feared.

Tick tock, tick tock.

Yanking his hand back, he stared in shock as Alice erupted into a fitful scream, before having it die down to a pathetic whimper.

Nightmare knew she must have been in intense pain; after all, this wasn't the first time outsiders lost their hearts to Wonderland.

Growling, he began to think. His mind was racing and his hands were sweating with anxiety. What could he do to save Alice?

"Please, somebody help me save Alice!" The voice cut him out of his thoughts. Listening intently, he heard the barely compressed sobs as (was it?) the Cheshire cat called for help.

"Ack!" Alice coughed, her face contorting into pain. Nightmare's head snapped down. Placing his hand on her "heart", he began to think of a plan again.

But again his concentration was broken. Glaring up, he wanted to yell at the voice, but composed himself; the voice wouldn't reach the cat, after all.

Again, however, Alice uttered a sign of pain.

Nightmare heard something else though. Something that brought a small flower of hope to his chest. Placing his head on her chest, what he heard was shocking.

There was still that tick-tock of her new heart, but he also heard the telltale sign of something else: the b-bump of her old heart, albeit much weaker than it ever was.

Realization struck him; Alice was reacting to the roleholders' voices. Her body was fighting, trying to bring back the old Alice everyone knew and loved.

Nightmare knew what he now needed to do. Leaning forward, he began to speak in a hushed tone straight into Alice's ear.

"Alice, please Alice, come back. You can't give up, not yet. It isn't the end. Your heart… your heart can only come back if your strong enough to beat your own inner demons. Alice—" But he was cut off as Alice let out a final, bloodcurdling scream before her dreams shattered into blackness.

XXX

When Nightmare woke up, he was on a freshly manicured lawn, surrounded by many trees. A house stood in the distance with large lion knockers and a woman and man standing out front, their faces contorted with grief. There, they were holding a simple white handkerchief as though it was poison. He didn't know what the handkerchief held, but it seemed important to the people.

"That's their vendetta," a small, childish voice said. Glancing over, Nightmare saw a small girl, her teal eyes without emotion and her light brown hair pulled into twin pigtails.

"What vendetta?" he questioned, his tone hoarse. The little girl gave him a strange look before sitting down on the lawn.

She replied, "Their vendetta against his murderer." Pointing behind her, Nightmare noticed a man so stock still that there was no way he could be alive. He had dark, purplish hand prints on his neck and his eyes looked accusingly at the sky.

His eyes widened a little bit. But before he could say anything, the little girl cut in. "They have the right to, you know. After all, it's terrible how he had to leave this world. I hope that murderer is punished."

Nightmare stared hard at the little girl. "Do you know who the murderer is?"

Confusion passed over her face before she replied, "Why would I know who the murderer is? That's a little ridiculous, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I guess," Nightmare answered, though he wasn't entirely convinced. The girl… she looked so familiar, but Nightmare couldn't place where he had seen her before.

"Good. I wouldn't have it any other way," the girl giggled, and the incubus found himself laughing as well.

But he suddenly stopped cold. What was so funny about this situation anyway? He searched his brain but couldn't come up with an answer.

The little girl narrowed her eyes. "Ne, why did you stop laughing, Nightmare? You don't think I know who the murderer is, do you?"

The truth cascaded over Nightmare's body. Jumping up, he pointed his finger down at the girl, slightly shaking. Said girl just cocked her head to the side, before asking, "What's wrong, Nightmare?"

"H-how do you know my name?" he asked frantically, but he already had a sinking suspicion of how she knew.

The girl simply stared at him. Then, after a moment, she sighed. "_You_ come into my dreams all the time. _You _took me to Wonderland. _You__'__re _the one who allowed me to lose my heart." Now the girl looked positively evil. She was glaring as though she was a Gorgon, willing Nightmare to turn to stone.

"So it is you… Alice," he whispered. She just nodded, the evil expression in her eyes gone as soon as it came. Nightmare continued. "Why are you here? And don't give me some bullshit answer, Alice. I want the truth."

A pained look passed over Alice's face, before she answered him, "I'm simply an innocent bystander—"

"I told you to quit the bullshit, Alice! I know for a fact that you're no bystander. Hell, you're not innocent; so why are you pretending to be?"

"I'M NOT PRETENDING TO BE INNOCENT! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Now she was crying, her sniffles and whimpers making Nightmare think that maybe he had been too hard on the girl. But he held firm. The girl wasn't going to get any pity out of him. No, he stood right where he was, waiting for her outburst to stop.

Once Alice saw Nightmare not reacting to her tears, she yelled out a virulent, "I HATE YOU!" before turning around to run away.

Nightmare saw this and took three large steps until he had grasped the girl. Then, slinging her on his shoulder, he pulled her until she was right on top of the corpse. Of course, Alice didn't go down without a fight; kicking and scratching, she left long, angry red marks on Nightmare's arms. But Nightmare was unaffected. Carrying her fighting form, he held her on the corpse.

She reared back, crying and yelling incoherently as the corpse stared up at her, his eyes turning malicious. Alice kept crying and screaming, but Nightmare took this as his chance to talk to the psychotic girl.

"Alice… ALICE!" he yelled, watching as she attempted to bite Nightmare's hands. Her tears hadn't subsided. Shaking her slightly, Nightmare yelled in a loud voice…

"YOU DID THIS, ALICE! YOU KILLED HIM! Stop trying to pretend you're innocent."

Alice turned towards his face, her eyes red and puffy from her tears. "I… I… I didn't know what to do! He was hurting me, and I wanted it to stop! I wanted him to SUFFER!"

Then, in a quieter voice, as though a switch had been turned off, she whimpered, "I don't want anyone to leave me. Papa left me, he left me, Peter left me, Sister would've left me too… I just don't want anyone else to leave!" At this proclamation, she erupted into hot tears as they fell across her face.

Suddenly, Alice was no longer over the corpse. Grabbing her, Nightmare squeezed her hard in a tight hug as she continued to cry.

"Ssh… It's alright Alice… I won't leave you… And the other roleholders won't leave you either." Alice stopped crying, her eyes widened in shock. When she didn't say anything, Nightmare continued, "But Alice, you need to understand: if you keep running away from your problems, you won't get anywhere. You have to face them head on and punch at them straight."

By this time, Alice giggled. Then, touching Nightmare's shoulder, she asked, "Can you put me down now? You're squishing me."

Nightmare chuckled a little, but nodded. Placing her down on the ground, he was surprised when Alice grasped his hand and began to walk with him, a small smile evident on her face.

"Thank you, Nightmare," she whispered, her smiled widening as she stared up at him. "I think I'm ready to go home now."

Nodding, Nightmare grasped her hand and led her back to her life.

**Whew, finally finished! Originally, this was much longer (and very different) but I decided to cut back and go into a different direction! I'm so glad I did. Only a few more chapters until we're done. I hope you've enjoyed the journey like I have.**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, guys, sorry about not updating yesterday! I had a lot of things to do (Christmas shopping, a church program, eating out at Red Lobster with my mother) so I didn't get the chance to write this chapter. But alas! I'm writing it now, but I don't know if I'll be able to write another tomorrow (stupid 200 point Othello project -.-) I'll try, though. Now onward to this fic!**

**DISCLAIMER: ANY WAY I CAN BUY THIS SERIES? NO? THEN THAT SHOULD BE YOUR ANSWER AS TO WHETHER I OWN IT OR NOT.**

**Chapter 10**

A figure was running. Said figure had magenta colored locks along with a long, matching boa. In his arms, he was carrying a bloodied, battered teenage girl to the nearest territory. That happened to be the Amusement Park, located roughly twenty meters away from where the girl was found on the verge of death.

When Boris had screamed for help, nobody came. He repeated it once, twice, three times, until the sad truth settled in: nobody was going to help him or Alice. He was alone.

Fury rippled through his body, before he calmed himself by counting backwards to ten. This wasn't the time or place to be getting angry over the lack of help; after all, he was there, and he was damn positive he wasn't going to let the outsider die.

So, though the scent was horrendous and he had to be extremely careful, he picked up Alice and began to go as fast as he was able towards the park. It wasn't easy, but he finally reached it and made it inside.

Once he made it in, he heard the shocked gasps of the faceless workers there, whether for his own condition or Alice's, he couldn't tell. He decided to ignore them anyway and continued on his lopsided gait towards Gowland.

Said man was sitting at one of the pavilions, drinking a steaming cup of black tea. His back was towards Boris and he yelled, "Old man! Alice is hurt!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Gowland spun around and stared at Boris as though he was a deer caught in the headlights.

"Didn't you hear me? She's hurt!" As if to prove his point, Alice let out a whimper of pain. Gowland, seeing the hurting girl, jumped up from his seat and raced towards the two.

"What in the—what happened Boris?" As he said this, he grabbed Alice from Boris' hands, giving him the chance to catch his breath. Boris, with his head down and his hands on his knees, heaved out:

"That crazy rabbit attacked her. You know, Vivaldi's? He shot her, and then had the nerve to shoot at me. But she," he erupted into a bone rattling cough, "she jumped on him and saved me. In the process though, she hurt herself even more."

"Damn it all to hell!" Gowland growled, his eyes glowing a dangerous color. "Did you kill that son of a bitch?"

Boris shook his head. "No, I didn't. However, I did immobilize him by shooting his legs and arms. He shouldn't be going anywhere for a while."

Gowland shook his head. "Let's get the little lass to an infirmary. I'll deal with that crazed rabbit later."

Boris didn't object; finally having caught his breath, he and Gowland took Alice to a long infirmary located in the park. The faceless in charge, an aging woman with streaks of grey in her hair, took one look at Alice then back at Gowland, before speaking gravely:

"Here's a table over here, sir. But that girl… she's lost a lot of blood. She might need surgery."

Gowland nodded and gritted his teeth. "I understand. Boris, wanna help me move Alice over to that there cot?"

"Sure," Boris agreed, grabbing half of Alice while Gowland grabbed the other half. But Alice wasn't going down without a fight; kicking and scratching, she subconsciously attempted to get out of their grasps and almost did. It wasn't until the elderly faceless subdued her with some sort of tranquilizer.

Gowland nodded his thanks and Boris smiled at the nurse. They then placed Alice on the cot and took a step back. Once she was on the cot, Gowland and Boris realized that they were both covered in blood.

The nurse noticed this too. "Look, why don't you two go wash up? We'll watch her, keep an eye on her. Besides, it'll be easier for us to treat her if there aren't people in the way."

Boris was about to object when Gowland grabbed his shoulder, a determined look in his eyes. "She's right. Let's give the little lady some space. Besides, we have some… _unfinished_ business to attend to."

And with that, Gowland led Boris out of the infirmary.

XXX

"Wha—let go of me, old man!" Boris yelled, unsuccessfully, as he tried to pry Gowland's surprisingly strong grip from his shoulder. Finally getting purchase, he yanked the offending hand off before yelling, "You need to calm down! You can't just go kill him!"

Gowland narrowed his eyes at Boris before emitting dangerously, "Step out of the way Boris. I'll do whatever I damn well please."

Boris saw the look and took a defiant step forward. "Do you honestly think Alice would want you to kill him? She hates it when people die and if you told her you killed Peter? Alice would be sad if he died, even if he was the one who attacked her. Don't do anything rash."

Gowland narrowed his eyes as though he was going to argue with Boris, before conceding with, "I guess you're right. Alice hates violence."

Boris breathed a sigh of relief; though he wouldn't openly admit, he hadn't wanted to fight the Amusement Park owner.

Gowland's voice snapped him out of his trance. "Let's at least go get him. That way, he can't go anywhere. And," he made a show of putting his fists together, "I can rough him up a little bit. Do you remember where you saw him last?"

"Of course," Boris said as he led Gowland to the last spot he saw the White Rabbit. After a few moments of walking in silence, Boris pointed up ahead of him. "He should be right…" But Boris stopped short as he realized something.

The White Rabbit was nowhere to be found.

**It's kind of a small chapter, but definitely takes care of a few things. I don't really have much to say here, except please review! You'll get internet cookies if you do! *waves one in the air* Come on! You know you want to!**

**Now, it's my time to catch up on some reviews. Here goes:**

_**To Yoruko Rhapsodos: Julius/Alice isn't bad… neither is Nightmare/Alice… Then again, this is only base off of the manga. I guess, if I had to say, Julius and Alice would be my third couple in HnKnA. I don't really see Grey, so I don't know, save for how most people portray him in other fanfics. **_

_**To ThePandaHat: :D**_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: I glad you love this story. Hopefully my update was fast enough for you.**_

_**To Yoruko Rhapsodos: In this fic, or just in general? 'Cuz if it is in this fic, then I thank you.**_

_**To ThePandaHat: Considering that this is the first fanfic I ever finished, I feel quite accomplished. It's definitely long enough for now. But I did have a lot of fun writing this.**_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: Thank you very much!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED THIS MANGA/GAME, I WOULD HAVE NO REASON TO DO AN OTHELLO PROJECT BECAUSE I'D BE RICH AND OUT OF SCHOOL!**

For a moment, time stopped for Boris. Where the hell was he?

"Are you sure, Boris?" Gowland asked, his eyes darting around as though he was waiting for Peter to jump them.

"Positive!" Boris huffed as he crossed his arms. "He was right here! See!" As if to prove his point, he ran forward and pointed to a still glistening pile of blood. "That's his blood. It has to be."

Gowland stared down at the blood, doubt in his eyes, before turning towards Boris and saying, "How do you think he got away, I reckon? You said you shot him in the legs, right son?"

Boris nodded; but as he thought back, he wasn't so sure. Of course, he remembered being attacked by the psychotic rabbit and smelling Alice's blood on him, but everything after that was a bit blurry. He thought he had hit the rabbit, but for all intensive purposes, he could have easily missed his legs.

Cursing silently, he hit his fist on his thigh. "Damn!" he growled.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, Gowland grabbed Boris' shoulder and said, "Why don't we go son? We'll find him, I'm sure of it."

Boris glared at the man, before replying vehemently, "You can. I'm going to go look for him. He can't be running around while Alice is… Alice is…" Boris felt tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. Without another word, he turned away from Gowland and began to look for Peter.

XXX

Gowland watched the young cat as he hurriedly ran away from him. Though he knew he should try to stop him, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He had seen the guilt in Boris' eyes, and knew that he had to do this himself. Shaking his head, he turned around.

XXX

A few days after the attack, Boris still hadn't returned. Gowland was afraid that the Cheshire cat was dead, but he didn't let that affect his cheerful disposition. In fact, he tried even harder to keep his smile on his face, given the circumstances.

Alice still had not woken up. This was a disconcerting fact, especially when the faceless came to talk to Gowland.

"Ah—Mr. Gowland," she said, breaking him out of his trance. Rubbing the back of his in embarrassment, he listened to her as she said, "I have a few things I need to discuss with you."

Gowland nodded and they went to a more private location. Staring down at her back, he noticed that her shoulders were drooping. He had also noticed the exhaustion in her voice as she came to retrieve him. When all of this was said and done, he promised himself that he would give the poor woman a break.

Suddenly, she stopped before rearing back at Gowland. "Sir, what I have to tell you—you might not like it." She waited, fearing an emotional outburst or, heavens forbid, him attacking her. When he remained calm and surprisingly quiet, she hurriedly continued, "As you know, she lost a lot of blood. So much in fact, we had to get a blood donor for an emergency transfusion. But even with that, it isn't looking good. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she had amnesia. Or… or if… or if she passed away…"

She was cut off as Gowland slammed his head right beside her own, anger evident in his eyes. She had never seen such anger from the usually docile man and felt herself shaking despite her determination.

Staring hard at her, Gowland's expression softened before he tiredly rubbed a hand over his face. "Look—I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. It's just that… how can you say she'll possibly die if the end hasn't come yet?" When she didn't respond, he took that as a sign to continue. "I mean, I understand you can't work miracles, but don't give up on that little lass yet. She's got some spunk in her, I can tell you that."

The woman, who was now gaping, nodded dumbly. But before she could say anything to the man, a shriek reached both of their ears.

"Come quick, come quick! The young outsider is gone! She isn't in her room!"

**Oh, I am so evil. I did this right before Thanksgiving too. Mwahahahaha! **

**Ahem… sorry this chapter is a little shorter than what you're used to, but I had an epiphany. I think I'll be writing more chapters than what I originally said! *does happy dance* However, along with this, I won't really be able to update for a while. You see, I was planning on finishing this story today, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. So now, I'm hoping this chapter holds you over. I'm visiting some relatives all through next week and they live straight in the boonies -.-. This translates to, "I won't be able to update because my grandmother hates computers!"**

**But please prepared for me to update when I get back, because trust me honey, I will. Oh, and everyone who is currently reading this: Happy Thanksgiving! For those of you who aren't in the US, Happy Thursday!**

**Now for some reviews…**

_**To ThePandaHat: *gives out bucket of internet cookies***_

_**To Lil Hamari: *gives out another bucket of internet cookies* I hope she doesn't lose her heart either. But who knows…**_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: :D *hands out cookies daintily***_


	12. Chapter 12

**It feels so good to be back! I just got back from my grandmother's house twenty minutes ago, and I can't tell you how much I missed it! Especially writing this story… I didn't realize how much time this took until I wasn't doing it. **

**And again, sorry for the maniacal cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. I couldn't help myself, hehe…**

**Onward to story!**

**DISCLAIMER: IF I OWNED THIS, I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT A HELICOPTER SO IT WOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN ME EIGHT HOURS TO GET HOME!**

"What do you mean, she isn't in her room?" the nurse beside Gowland shrieked, her momentary fright forgotten in the shock of the moment. "Where else could she be?"

The faceless who alerted them quivered a bit. "Well… I'm sorry miss… I don't really recall…"

"What? Who was watching her? Didn't you have anybody in there with her? How can you be so STUPID?" She covered her mouth; it was frowned upon in this establishment to yell at the subordinates. Seeing the remorse etched on the younger faceless' face, she sighed and said, in a more subdued tone, "Let's go find her. She couldn't have gotten far. Right, Mr. Gowland?"

But Gowland didn't respond. In fact, he looked ghastly pale and his eyes were bugging out.

The head nurse noticed this and asked, very quietly, "Are you all right, Mr. Gowland? Do you need to sit down?"

When he still didn't respond, she sighed and placed her hands on his arm, intending to lead him to a chair. She was shocked when he whipped his hand away from her, hatred evident in his eyes.

She was even more shocked when he growled out a virulent, "White!" before running off in the direction of Alice's room.

Sharing a look with the other faceless, they both grabbed the bottom of their dresses before following him.

XXX

Alice was floating.

Everything was black; from where she was, she couldn't discern any shapes, any light, nothing. It was as though she in a completely nonexistent plane, as though she wasn't alive. Hell, she couldn't even feel her body.

_Am I dead?_ she wondered, her eyes lazily searching for some sort of sign. But still, blackness.

Wasn't dying supposed to be something more than this? Wasn't she supposed to see a bright tunnel of light? Or…

Was she in hell? But that wouldn't make sense. Wasn't hell supposed to be all fiery infernos with infinite blackness and disturbing creatures?

Sighing, she attempted to move (what she hoped) her arm. Surprisingly, she felt some sort of pull, at least when she focused. But the joint was stiff and it hurt to move it. Cringing, she stopped her attempts to move her arm.

Still, even as she lay there, she couldn't help wondering where exactly she was. This definitely wasn't heaven and she didn't think it was hell…

Suddenly she felt a strange pull in what she supposed was her abdomen. Just as she felt this, the surroundings seemed to get a little bit lighter.

Was it a trick of her eyes?

But as she lay there, she realized that yes; it was in fact getting lighter the longer she was there. In fact, it got so light, her pitch black surroundings were becoming a more pale yellow and she welcomed the change.

Glancing down in the small amount of light, she also noticed she had her body. Smiling, she focused her attention to her legs. Twitching her foot just a little bit, she winced as the same pain from earlier encased her body.

But she couldn't just stay there. If she did, she didn't know when the blackness would come back.

Pushing past all her pain, she forced herself to sit up. It was excruciating; her entire chest ached with the feeling of a thousand fires and her legs were stiff to the bone.

But it was worth it.

For, as soon as she sat up, the light seemed to descend upon her, covering her in a shockingly cold embrace. She began to struggle; it was cold, too cold and it was preferable to just stay there…

But the light stayed in place around her, before pulling her back to the surface.

She opened her eyes.

XXX

Peter was alive.

Opening his eyes, he stared groggily at the sky surrounding him. Then, reality snapped in. He had survived. He was alive.

That fact alone brought euphoria to the Prime Minister, but he wasn't surprised. He knew Alice's views of death were quite radical for Wonderland, as did most of the other roleholders.

But the Chesire cat was different. He went out of his way to not kill people in front of Alice. No matter what, he refused to kill in front of the girl, even if Peter could have easily killed her himself.

The pure irony brought a crazy smile to his lips and he bit his tongue in order to hold back similar laughter. It was one of the best weaknesses he could have hoped for.

However, thinking back, he was still quite unsettled by Alice's tackle. How she had enough energy, he would never know.

Or maybe he would.

The thought struck him completely out of the blue. Glancing down at his legs, he noticed where the shots had entered his skin. They hadn't exited; that was good. If they had, he could have easily bled out to death before he was able to get away.

His arms were a different matter entirely, though. The bullet of one had exited and a striking crimson red was pouring out, coloring his normally pale skin senseless. Grabbing his jacket, he placed it around the wound and began to apply pressure, gritting his teeth at the pain. Once his jacket was snug against his arm, he attempted to stand up.

The pain, of course, was ludicrous; but even with that, he still managed to get into a sitting position. Then, by some blessing of the gods, he stood up.

Now, Peter was by no means a weak man; in fact, he was probably one of the most robust roleholders in Wonderland. But even that was no match for the feeling of four different gunshot wounds, each located in a despicable part of his body.

He fell down. Breathing heavily, he realized that it would be pretty much impossible to walk all the way to the end of the Amusement Park.

He cursed silently before taking his hand and placing it in front of him. _One__step__at__a__time_, he thought, his eyes showing hard determination.

Even if it was the end of him, he would not give up until Alice accepted his love. And if she didn't…

He'd kill her.

XXX

Clutching his chest, he made his way over to Julius.

The clockmaker noticed the sickly man before rushing over and yelling, a bit frantically, "Nightmare! What happened to you?"

He smiled weakly; but then erupted into a fit of coughing. Julius, noticing how terrible he sounded, reached down and helped him up, keeping a steady hand on his back.

Nightmare smiled groggily up at him, but still didn't answer Julius. Sighing, he asked again, "What in the hell happened to you?"

"I—I—" He croaked out, before continuing to cough. Then, after what seemed like an eternity to Julius, he finished, "I helped Alice… get her… ahem, heart back…"

And with that final declaration he passed out in Julius' arms. Julius, too concerned for the incubus, never noticed the vile secured tightly in his grasp.

XXX

When Alice opened her eyes, she took in her surroundings. The room was starch white; it looked completely bleached of color and in her stupor, she realized that it was a hospital room.

The monotonous beeping, the pale white walls, and the smell of disinfectant… though usually quite fearful of hospitals, she rejoiced silently in the empty room.

At least, until she saw a red figure amble in, his gun at the ready. She recognized him instantly; it was Peter, his red eyes narrowed hatefully and his gun held straight at Alice's head. She also noticed the telltale sign of white gauze around his calves and upper arms, blood on his coat.

She opened her mouth to scream, but before she could, he placed a tight hand on her mouth.

Her eyes widened; shaking, she thought the end was coming. But she was surprised when Peter's hateful glare softened into one of adoration.

Alice's shaking stopped; instead, her heart began hammering a thousand miles a minute but something else overtook her too.

It was rage.

The emotion scared her; she hadn't felt this much rage since she had… had… killed her fiancé. But it helped her think clearer; glancing around the room, she looked for something, anything that could be used as a weapon. Her eyes rested on a simple dining tray, completely at home in the white room.

Looking back into Peter's eyes, she gathered all her courage before quickly grabbing the tray and ramming it into the side of his head. The sound was sickening; his head snapped to the side with a loud crunch, before blood began to bleed out of his ears. She had popped his eardrum.

Peter's eyes were widened in shock. He glanced back disbelieving at the outsider, before his surprise turned into heated anger.

Grabbing his gun, he hit her across the face, taking pleasure in the sound it made. Her eyes closed instantaneously.

Smiling victoriously, he picked up Alice before making his way out of the hospital room.

**Okay, we're done! You really don't understand how happy I am to be writing this. Another chapter done…**

**How did Peter make it to Alice? What is Gowland planning? What is so important about the vile Nightmare has? All of this and more will be answered next chapter. **

**And as always…**

**PLEASE REVIEW! It would be so nice! Oh, and thank you to those who reviewed last chapter. That would include…**

_**To Yoruko Rhapsodos: *hands out sickle and guillotine***_

_**To ThePandaHat: Because I can! Haha, just kidding :P **_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: You are welcome for the cookies. Good luck? Well, if it's because I won't have a computer, I wouldn't blame you…**_

_**To BlackestFog: You're my first anonymous reviewer! *hands out a cookie* And thank you for the compliment! I can tell you this, most Joker/Clover/Heart no Kuni no Alice fanfics have too many OCs for my tastes. I'm glad I broke your amazing scale **_


	13. Chapter 13

**Welcome back to the story of _Darlynne_! I hope you have enjoyed it up to this far. Don't worry—this isn't my goodbye note. That won't be for another couple chapters, so don't be alarmed. But I do hope you enjoy this chapter; I really hope it turns out the way I planned it. So please feel free to enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I WAS SUPPOSED TO GET RIGHTS TO THIS IN MAY WHEN THE WORLD WAS SUPPOSED TO END. BUT OF COURSE IT DIDN'T AND I DON'T OWN ANYTHING **

The night was calm and serene. The trees were blowing with the light breeze in the area, as the moon shone over the beautiful palace of the Queen of Hearts.

Of course, she wasn't there.

In fact, she was in the stunning rose gardens of her younger brother, Blood. Though he wasn't gracing her with his company, she was not unhappy.

Staring out, Vivaldi was enjoying the peace and quiet she normally never got. It was always hectic in the castle and she was glad to be away, if for a time. Taking a sip of her tea, she smiled slightly; really, what a marvelous night.

But of course, all great nights must come to an end. Hearing the familiar rustle of leaves, she continued to stare out until she felt the comforting presence of her brother.

She realized, though, that he was breathing heavily, almost as though he had been running around for a few time periods. Whipping her head around, she let out a snappy, "Why do you disturb us so with your panting? It is quite unsettling."

He glared at her before sitting down beside her. "You're one to talk; always staring and attempting to be by yourself. Isn't that more unsettling?"

She smirked. "Touché, our little brother," she said, her voice soft and teasing. But then she became serious. "But really, is there something wrong? You know you can always tell us."

His face paled considerably. "Well, I don't know about wrong per say. Something strange did happen though."

When she found he wasn't going to continue, she barked out a, "Continue!" before bristling at his chuckling.

He sobered up as the situation came back to him. "When I was leaving the mansion, I saw Gowland. He looked—well, he looked angry. Pissed. In fact, he ignored me completely when I yelled out his name. Something that's really been bothering me," he finished, his eyes reflecting eerily in the whiteness of the moon.

Vivaldi simply shook her head. "Though that is odd, that man has always been one of the stranger roleholders. But why do you suppose he looked angry, hm?"

Blood shook his head. "Like the hell I know. But it whatever it was, I would hate to be the one it's directed at."

As Blood said this, the time period changed into a gaudy daylight, causing Vivaldi to glare offensively at the sun. "A perfect night was just ruined."

"Indeed, sister," Blood replied, his tone taunting and childish.

That is, before he noticed the body.

XXX

"Nngh," Alice moaned, her eyelids fluttering. Where was she?

A dark chuckle sent shivers down her spine. Whipping her eyes open, she came face to face with the same man who started all this.

Peter.

"Glad to see you're awake, Alice sweet," he cooed like he normally did, but Alice noticed something off. Something was _dangerously _wrong with him.

"P-Peter, let me go," she whispered weakly as she attempted to struggle out of his grasp. He just laughed at her weak attempts, before the dangerous aura from earlier covered his body.

"Let you go? My, that's ridiculous my love. I only want to hold you tighter." As he said this, he pulled her closer and brushed his teeth against her collarbone.

She went stock still. What was he—

But before she could question it any further, he quickly flipped her around to face him before greedily gulping her mouth with his own. Her shocked exclamation died out as his tongue descended into her mouth, licking and nipping at her lower lip.

Now she was downright terrified. Gathering all her strength, she pushed against his frame but gasped silently as he restrained his hands to his chest.

No, no no no no NO! Tears began to flow freely from Alice's eyes, but Peter mistook it.

Peter, in all of his crazed passion, mistook her tears for something else. Smiling slightly, he placed Alice's body straight on the cold ground before descending on her body.

Grasping her white hospital robes, he placed his hand on her covered breasts and began rubbing sensually on the clothed nipple. That is, until a cheery voice resounded in the area.

"Morning, Mr. Peter," Ace said cheerily, his smile staying creepily on his face. "Whatcha you doin' all the way out here?"

Peter glanced up and glared at the newcomer, but didn't remove his hand from Alice's breast. "That would be none of your business, Knight of Hearts."

Ace, if at all possible, made his smile even goofier than before. "Oh, I believe it is, Mr. Peter. You see, a little birdie told me to keep my eye out for you. Something about you taking Alice?" As Ace said this, his expression became darker, even though he still wore that smile.

"Go away," Peter retorted, taking his hand off of Alice. "If you don't, I'll have to make you."

Ace smiled darkly. "Then I guess you'll have to."

That was when Peter exploded.

Leaping towards the Knight, he transformed his clock into a gun before shooting numerous bullets at Ace. Sidestepping the assault, Ace brought his sword up and began to slice each bullet in half before charging at Peter.

But Peter wasn't done. Grasping his gun, he blocked the blade of the sword; but it was all he could do at the moment, for Ace was agile on his feet.

But Peter realized something; Ace couldn't keep fighting him forever. For, even as they sparred, Ace was slowly being backed into the trees behind him. Peter smiled; all he needed to do was make the man fall down so he could end it.

Shifting forward, he pretended to come at Ace with a left hook but instead flipped his gun out from under his sword and shot it. The sound rang in the air.

Ace's eyes widened; then, slowly he sank down to the ground. But not before landing a straight blow extremely close to Peter's heart.

Peter smiled triumphantly before slowly turning around to face Alice. But when he did, she was nowhere to be found.

XXX

Alice was running.

Well, more specifically, she was walking a fast gait. It was all she could afford to do at the moment. In the most inconvenient of times, her wounds began to bleed even more profusely.

But she was lucky; even though her entire body was coated with blood, it was preferable to… that. _No,_ she thought shaking her head,_it __was __preferable __to __getting __raped._

But suddenly, she heard a loud final shout of the gun. A grunt of pain followed soon after before it became silent. Eerily silent, in fact.

The silence scared Alice. Had Peter been victorious?

Shaking the thoughts from her head, she began to run again. But a sad thought struck her:

Where could she go?

She had no idea where she was. Running around aimlessly would most likely kill her. All she knew was she was in a forest.

But before she could ponder it any further, a lopsided gait made its way to her ears. Shaking, she continued on her way, albeit a bit more quietly. She looked around for anything: a weapon, a familiar landmark, anything. But each scan of the forest reinforced the idea that she was utterly lost.

Deciding hiding would be the best course of action, she quickly found a bush with full, green foliage. Glancing down at her white calling beacon, she debated whether or not she should remove it. But she decided against it; after all, if Peter caught up with her, it would only make it easier for him to do the unthinkable.

And Alice knew she was still incredibly weak from when he attacked her earlier. If she continued on, it was a damn good possibility she could bleed out.

Sinking down into the foliage, she fell into a fitful slumber.

XXX

Blood stared down at the body, not believing what he was seeing.

Because, laying right in his secret garden, was the Cheshire cat in all his bloody glory. Turning towards Vivaldi, he was about to inform her when he saw her expression.

It was one of pity and disgust as she had already noticed Boris. Blood stared at his sister hard. "Do you know about this?"

She returned the glare. "Of course not; we know of no such thing. It was rather dark; how could we notice something in the dark?"

Blood glared a second longer, before having his expression soften. Glancing down at the body, he leaned forward and placed his bare hand against the corpse. He was shocked when he felt the slightly warm pulse radiate like a hot, summer day. Grabbing his cane, he transformed it into a gun and placed it at the temple of the offending creature. "Should I kill him sister? It is quite possible he found out about our secret."

Vivaldi shook her head with disgust. "It is not our place to have one killed in front of us. We will go and leave you to your own inventions." Just before she got up to leave though, a mumbling was heard from Boris.

Blood narrowed his eyes. "What did you say, cat?" he growled, pressing his now turned cane harder into his temple.

Boris mumbled again. Vivaldi placed her heel into his back. "What did you say, you insolent male?" When he didn't respond, she let out an indignant, "Answer us when we're talking to you!"

"Sister, that is probably not the way to illicit a response," Blood said, his eyes never leaving Boris. Sighing, he got on the ground (much to Vivaldi's disgust); placing his ear close to Boris' mouth, he listened and what he heard shocked him.

This did not go unnoticed by Vivaldi. "What is it?" she asked, her once annoyed expression replaced with one of confusion. "What was said?"

Silently, Blood stood up; then, without so much as a look at Vivaldi, he uttered incredulously, "He said, 'Find the White Rabbit. He has Alice.'"

Vivaldi gasped. "Our Prime Minister?" Blood nodded.

Shaking her head, Vivaldi sat back down. Then, after a moment, she laughed bitterly. "Well, we are not surprised. His infatuation with Alice has always bordered on the unhealthy side. Don't you think?" When Blood didn't respond, Vivaldi stopped laughing.

Then, taking his hand, she grasped it tightly. "Does that mean we must go and save Alice?"

Blood nodded, returning her grasp. Vivaldi smiled; without another word, they began to make their way to go help Alice.

**I decided to end this chapter right here because I am STARVING and want to eat dinner. But anyways… How was it? It didn't turn out the way I wanted it for a couple reasons. For one, I never intended on having Blood and Vivaldi in this chapter (or Ace for that matter); it was originally going to be just Peter and Alice. But I can't control how the characters act -.- Ah well. Also, the idea for Ace came partly from Yoruko Rhapsodos in a review. The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed to fit into the story.**

**Another thing that worries me is if I did the brother/sister dynamic correctly between Blood and Vivaldi. I know some (OK, most) of the characters have been OOC throughout this story, but I enjoy writing Vivaldi's IC character. There's just something about it…**

**Well, that's all folks. Til' tomorrow… And as always…**

**Please Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HEART NO KUNI NO ALICE. IT BELONGS TO ITS RESPECTFUL OWNERS AND COMPANIES.**

**PS—If you want a good song to listen to this chapter, listen to _Jabberwocky__Jabberwocka_ featuring Kagamine Rin/Len APPEND POWER. Though the lyrics don't necessarily fit, it has a nice beat and gets the creative juices flowing.**

**Enjoy!**

When Alice finally got around to waking up, she was relieved she didn't see the crazed rabbit. But that didn't take away her fear. She didn't think anything could take away her fear.

Moaning softly, she stretched her arms and noticed it was bright. Of course, that was nothing to go on; Wonderland always had sporadic time periods, crisis or no.

But at least it was bright out. She wasn't nearly as worried about the rabbit if it had been night; but she knew she still had to be careful. Alice just wasn't sure how much.

Ever so silently, she crept out of her hiding place and was relieved when the forest was clear.

That is, until she heard the moaning.

She didn't recognize who it was; a part of her was tempted to avoid the person all together, but what if it was Ace? She suddenly felt even worse for leaving him behind, but she was glad he wasn't dead. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to take anymore.

But still…

What if it was Peter? If it was, she was screwed. Figuratively and literally.

She shook those thoughts away and decided to compromise. She would walk by the sound, albeit hidden, to see who it was. If it was Ace, she'd help him as best as she could; but if it was Peter, she would leave. Plus, it would be nice to know he was incapacitated, at least for the time being.

After making up her mind, she stood up but almost fell over from the feeling of blood rushing to her head. Almost. But after a moment, she righted herself and made her way towards the whimpering.

After a few minutes of walking, she saw the body on the ground and noticed it was Ace. Alice bit her lip; she had really been hoping it was Peter. Glancing around she leaned a little closer before yelling out a hoarse, "Ace!"

He moaned at his name; then, as though a light flickered on, he adjusted himself so he was facing the girl. "Alice? Is that you?"

Alice went to nod, but then thought better of it. By the look of Ace's eyes, he looked almost completely out of it. "Yeah, it's me."

From where Alice was, she thought she saw Ace nod before his goofy grin came back to his face. "This kind of sucks, doesn't it?"

"Stay quiet Ace," she whispered, still uneasy of Peter's suddenly departure. "I'm not sure where Peter is. In this game, you have to be quiet. And… by any chance, do you know where we are?"

Ace replied with a cheery, "No!" completely ignoring Alice's darkening expression.

"How did you get here then?"

A look passed over Ace's face as he pondered. "Well, in all actuality, I wasn't planning on finding you and Mr. Peter in here. I got lost." He said this so casually that Alice had to remind herself that yes, Ace was terrible when it came to directions, but if he hadn't come when he did, it was possible Alice could be dead.

Realizing this, Alice smiled softly. "Thank you… for that," she whispered, feeling tears sting at the corners of her eyes. But she immediately sobered up. This wasn't the time nor place to be getting all emotional, especially with the risk of running into Peter pretty great.

"Ace, can you walk?" After she asked that, she felt stupid. Of course he couldn't walk! Shaking her head at her stupidity, she tried again. "How badly are you injured?"

"Injured enough," came the reply from an all too familiar voice. Alice whipped her head around, but was stopped when an iron grip grasped her chin.

As soon as Alice heard his voice, she began to struggle in his grasp. Luckily for her, Peter wasn't expecting such a brash move and his grip wavered. That was all Alice needed before she was running for high heaven, dodging trees, branches, and rocks.

Growling, Peter raced after her. But because of his wound, he wasn't able to keep up like he normally did.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Alice reached Ace. He was laying there, smiling up at Alice, but was in no position to get up. His lower abdomen was bloodied and Alice gasped, cringing at the smell of the blood.

She didn't have much time to think about this when she heard the lopsided gait of Peter rearing up behind her. Thinking quickly, she leapt for Ace's unmanned sword and held it out in front of her.

After a few more moments, Peter came into the clearing. He stopped dead once he noticed Alice's weapon, shocked. Alice stepped closer and thrust it into the empty air.

But Peter's eyes took on a calculating look; stepping back, he raised his hands. "What are you doing Alice?" With each word, he took a small step forward.

Alice caught on. "Step back!" she yelled, straightening her sword. "If you don't, I'll… I'll—"

"You'll what?" Peter interjected, his tone surprisingly neutral. "Kill me? Hah! Look at yourself! Your hands are shaking." Sure enough, Alice's hands were quivering, if ever so slightly.

Alice felt hot tears sting her eyes and acid lace her tone. "Don't say that," she whispered. "Because… because…"

"Because what Alice?" Peter mused.

"BECAUSE I KILLED HIM! I KILLED HIM! IT WAS ME! I was the one…" After her confession, Alice felt surprisingly peaceful. Her urge to cry subsided and she felt the shaking pass.

Peter noticed this too, but stayed calm. He knew that Alice wouldn't kill him; she wouldn't go against her new morals so easily. He took a step closer, completely ignoring her outburst.

That was a mistake.

Because, as soon Peter took that step, Alice leapt for him. She raised her sword and brought it down, cleanly breaking his gun. The chain broke and it fell to the ground useless.

But Alice wasn't done. Rearing back, she raised the blade and aimed it at Peter's head. Had it not been for his quick reflexes, she would have killed him.

He didn't go unscathed though. The blade had brushed against his ear, loping a small tip off. He roared and raised his hand, fully intent on hitting Alice. She was quicker though; taking the scabbard, she hit his knee with enough force to twist the holder. He fell.

Once he was on the ground, Alice straddled him and began to do something she never wanted to do again: she strangled him. Placing her hands on his neck, she was far too lost to hear Ace's shocked exclamations or Peter's suffocating breathes. All she heard was her frenzied breathing; all she saw was Peter's slowly paling face. Red began to creep in her vision.

That was enough to snap her out of her trance.

Jumping away from Peter like he was hot lead, she stared down at his now unconscious body, feeling the guilt creep in.

"Alice!" she turned around to see Ace on the ground, looking slightly shocked. "What—"

But before he finished, Alice's entire world went black.

XXX

Blood was lost.

No, more specifically, Vivaldi was lost. He had been following her lead after all.

Guess it wasn't too smart to try to find Alice without any idea of where she was, hm?

Vivaldi had enough as well. "Brother, tell us where we are! Did we not go the right way?" When Blood didn't respond, Vivaldi (somewhat childishly) crossed her arms over her chest and stared crossly at Blood. "Why aren't you answering us?" she demanded.

"Years of practice," he mumbled. Vivaldi glared daggers at him, but chose to ignore his comment. She did not like wasting her breathe, after all.

After what seemed like a millennium, Blood spoke again. "If I was a young outsider, where would I go?"

Vivaldi, seeing his point, reiterated a similar question. "If we were our Prime Minister, where would we go?"

Both gasped at the same time. "The forest!"

XXX

The first thing Boris felt when he woke up was the warm sunshine against his skin.

The second thing was the feeling of a soft bed, fluffed with down. He blinked, panic rising, before understanding set in. He was in a hospital room; but as to where, he wasn't sure.

"Glad to see you're awake," a faceless nurse said, fluffing his pillows as she did. "We thought you'd be sleeping forever!"

Boris smiled but coughed. His throat was extremely dry. Shyly glancing around, he eyed the nurse and asked her, "Could I have some water?"

"Oh!" she cried, placing her hand to her mouth. "Yes sir, I'm so sorry!" She ran out and a few moments later, came back in with a large cup of water. Boris drank it gratefully.

"So uh… where am I?" he asked. It didn't look like any type of hospital room he'd seen before; for one, it was decorated with vibrant red roses, the likes of which he'd never seen. What hospital room had flowers?

"Yes! Well, um… you see…" The nurse bit her lip as she thought of an answer. "Queen Vivaldi found you; she had a faceless bring you back. You were in bad condition Mr. Boris. Someone had shot you."

Boris crinkled his brow. Who had shot him? Looking down at his chest, realization soon came over him.

**UPDATE: I erased the ending for this chapter just because it really didn't fit throughout the rest of the story. Just completely disregard Boris' point of view for now. And... be prepared for the chapter to start in a different area.**

**Finally done! Sorry for not updating yesterday but I had church and I went out with my mother. Plus, _Nightmare __Before __Christmas_ was on TV! *squeals* But anyway… hopefully you liked this chapter. I know I jumped around a lot, but trust me, it'll all come together.**

**Now for some reviews...**

_**To Yoruko Rhapsodos: You're welcome for the sickle. Also, thank you for the idea! I've been trying to incorporate all the roleholders one way or another in this story. Plus, it kind of annoys me when people make Ace a person who doesn't care about Alice. **_

_**To ThePandaHat: Yes, OCs annoy me as well. I've tried reading OC centric stories for this fandom, I really have; but it's difficult to find one that isn't a Mary Sue or depressed. I've only found one that actually was pretty good; all the other ones… kind of suck.**_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: Hehe Thank you!**_

_**To ThePandaHat: Yes**_

_**To Yoruko Rhapsodos: Heh, I feel kind of bad for not replying to this message when I saw it, but it was meant to be. I didn't want to give away any spoilers, after all.**_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: Thanks! I really had a lot of fun writing her personality. Actually, I have fun writing that type of personality. **_

_**DragonSnap17: And of course, they did not leave Boris. Though I was tempted for them to… (simply for the fact that it is Wonderland and they really don't care about death and life as much as Alice). But Boris is one of my favorite characters and I'd be damned if he would die in my fic. And as for Peter being OOC… this is my reasoning: he believes he loves Alice so much that he is the only one for her. As such, if he can't be with her, then nobody can. He doesn't see himself as killing her; he thinks she views him as her savior.**_

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR THIS LONG! *weeps* B-but you see, I was so BUSY! Christmas is so much work; I had to buy Christmas gifts, throw a Christmas party, bake cookies, visit relatives, finish A LOT of schoolwork, etc. Being a highschooler in December is so hectic -.-**

**But anywho, please enjoy this chapter. Don't think I've abandoned this story or that I've died; that won't happen for a while. **

***sees all the reviews left in her absence and goes into self-pitying cocoon***

**Alice: Um… Is she going to be alright?...**

**Ace: Nope! Ms. Author is so depressed right now! Guess we'll have to do the disclaimer instead!**

**Alice: *gives one glance towards me, then clears her throat* Okay, here goes…**

**Alice and Ace: Alyssa James does not own us or HnKnA! If you thought she did, you're very well mistaken!**

**Me: *shrinks farther into corner, mumbling about enraged readers and scary pitchforks***

Alice woke with a groan. She felt as though burning hot coals were settled in her scalp, burning away in the sense of a major headache. But other than that, she felt relatively unscathed.

Of course, she still had that wound in her chest and her hands stung with vicious fire. But the blood had stopped flowing and the burning sensation was minimal.

Opening her eyes a little wider, she winced as the bright midday sun greeted her. Slowly she sat up, carefully keeping a steady hand on her forehead, all the while keeping her eyes peeled for any type of unusual movement from Peter. Much to her relief, he still seemed unconscious.

But her relief was soon destroyed when she glanced over at Ace.

Or rather, where Ace once was.

Doing a double take, she scanned the immediate area again, but came up short. Where was the Knight of Hearts?

"A… A… Ace…" Her throat stung as though she hadn't used it in quite some time, which made her panic all the more. That meant she must have been laying there for quite a bit while Ace…

She shook her head as tears gathered at her eyes. _No!_ she silently thought, praying that it was all just some sort of cruel practical joke and Ace was right around the corner. But much to her disappointment, she didn't hear the telltale rustling of the lost Knight or his happy reply to his name.

_Ace abandoned me_, she thought, tears now flowing smoothly. Giving an unconscious glance towards Peter, one question ran through her mind, so loud and ostentatious that she gave voice to it.

"What if Peter wakes up?"

And the more Alice thought about it, the more chagrined she became. Grasping the ground at her side, she snarled involuntarily as pain filtered through her vision. How she survived like this for so long, she didn't know, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was her getting out of this hellhole and never coming back. She wouldn't kill Peter—no, that thought still made her stomach churn—but she could at least (though she dreaded it) return to her own world.

Victoriously standing up, Alice began making her way out of the forest.

XXX

Ace felt horrible.

It wasn't the normal 'I don't know to continue living like this' façade he had; rather, it was what he had done in the previous day that had him riled up.

It had started nearly five time periods ago (five LONG periods, mind you) when he suddenly got more feeling in his abdomen. The pain was there, sure, but it dulled down so much that he was able move his arms around and shift his body until he was standing up.

But that was about it. He didn't have much strength; that much was certain. It was proving troublesome though; because, not even five feet away, was Alice, her chest burning bright with black, dried blood and her hands clasped at her sides. She was unusually pale, and if her chest hadn't been falling up and down ever so softly, he would have presumed her dead.

But without his strength, he wouldn't be able to help her at all. She didn't look like she was going to wake up anytime soon and he couldn't very well carry her.

That was when he had made the hardest decision of his life. Would he leave the girl behind or try and take her with him, even though it would prove to be impossible?

His face, usually so carefree and bright, scrunched up at his choices. With one final wordless goodbye, he left Alice.

Now, he was walking through this God-awful forest, lost beyond belief. Why couldn't he have been born with a better sense of direction? Lowering his head, he continued on his way.

That is, until he heard the bickering of two voices nearby. Two _familiar_ voices, mind you.

"Where are we?" came an enraged female, her voice shrill with demands and anger. "Do you even know where you're going, you insolent male?"

A calm and collected voice, very different from the previous speaker's, spoke up. "Could you keep your voice down, _Vivaldi_? We won't find anything unless you quit _bitching_ and help me look." His voice had such a biting sting to it that it shocked Vivaldi into silence.

Once Ace heard these familiar voices, he picked up his pace, getting closer and closer to the unconcealed sounds of the Mafioso and the Queen of Hearts. After a few precarious moments where he thought he would lose them, he came upon them in a small clearing.

The reaction was immediate. Both stopped arguing as they took in the disheveled appearance of the Ace of Hearts. Then, Vivaldi took in a deep breath and turned her attention towards the newcomer. "Why is our knight here in these desolate woods? You do realize that your paperwork has been piling up nonstop now, right?"

Ace smiled, but it was bitter. "I don't know; I was more worried about Alice than some lousy paperwork. But hey—if that's what you want, that's fine. I leave the woods right now and go finish it."

Blood reached his hand out. "Si—I mean, Vivaldi didn't mean anything by that. That's her… way of saying she cares," he admitted, somewhat angrily. When he saw the Knight wasn't going to go anywhere, he voiced the question both he and Vivaldi had been wondering. "Knight of Hearts… do you know where Alice is?"

Ace's smiled softened as Blood asked this. "Yeah! Um… well, I think…"

"Oh for the love of… You don't remember where she is? I SHOULD HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS!" Vivaldi screeched, raising her foot for effect.

Blood glared at his sister before clearing his throat, effectively pulling the Knight's attention to him. "Why don't you try going back the way you came?"

Ace nodded, smiling slightly; then he began to walk in the opposite direction from which he came.

Blood stared at him. "Ace… didn't you come from over _there_? Why are you going in the opposite direction?"

Ace rubbed the back of his head embarrassedly before turning around and going the correct direction.

Blood and Vivaldi shared a glance before following the lost knave. This was going to be a_ long_ journey.

XXX

The first thing Nightmare felt was the feeling of something heavy in his left hand.

The next thing he noticed was the worried glance the clockmaker was sending him. His hand was placed on Nightmare's forehead as though he was checking for a fever. Nightmare chuckled and nearly caused Julius to have a heart attack. Almost.

"What're you doing, Julius?" he chuckled, laughing at the small blush grazing Julius' cheeks before he settled on his signature glare. "Worried about me?"

Julius growled before clearly his throat and pointedly looking away. "Who would be worried about YOU? You always get into trouble, are a pain in the ass… Heck, I wouldn't have helped you if I didn't have any questions."

Nightmare's eyebrows shot up at his tone. "Questions? What kind of questions?"

Julius narrowed his gaze before asking, "Where is Alice? I haven't seen her in quite some time."

At this question, Nightmare's playful smirk died on his lips. "You mean… she hasn't returned yet?"

"That's what I was asking you. I can't even tell you the last time I saw her; and, I guess I am a little worried…"

Had Nightmare been on his normal brainwaves, he would have poked fun at the clockmaker's uncomfortable expression; but alas, he was much to engrossed in his own thoughts to even notice. Speaking more towards himself, he said, "She's not back yet? Where is she then? If she doesn't get this vile soon, she'll…"

Julius' expression turned to one of confusion. "What're you talking about? What vile?"

As if Nightmare just realized Julius was still in the room, he glanced up with a slightly crazed expression in his eyes. "Julius… this vile… it's what connects Alice to this world… Without this, she can't survive here…"

Julius' worry intensified. "Wouldn't she just go back to her world then?"

Nightmare shook his head. "No. Without this, she cannot exist neither here nor there. Have you ever wondered how those afterimages came to be? They didn't always exist, I can tell you that."

Julius felt his face getting paler and paler at Nightmare's implied words. His next question died on his lips as Nightmare continued.

"If Alice doesn't get this back before her wounds become completely untreatable… she'll no longer exist. Her existence will be gone forever."

**Alice: *shaking me* Hey, what is this about me disappearing? Though I did enjoy my badass moment at the beginning…**

**Me: *crying* It fits in with the plot, I swear. Don't kill me.**

**Alice: *sweatdrops* Right… well, Alyssa James hopes you enjoyed this chapter. And please let her know that you aren't mad at her—if you don't, she might go completely mental *leads me off and tries to get me to think happy thoughts***

**Ace: *sees Alice leave* Hey Alice, you forgot about the—she's gone. All well; let's move onto some reviews, shall we?**

_**To Yoruko Rhapsodos: Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll be pairing Alice up with anyone. Maybe if I wrote a sequel… Meh; I'd have to think about it, but as it stands now, she'll be all by her lonesome.**_

_**To xGrellSutcliffx: I'm glad you like the story On a completely unrelated note, I love your user name (Kuroshitsuji is my drug) **_

_**To BlackestFog: *peers out with shifty eyes and throws money out the window* Here's some money to fix your amazing dar. Hopefully it's enough. Also Peter's personality in this story just kind of happened. But you're welcome for the cookie **_

_**To The-Cheshire-Neko AKA DragonSnap17: Hehe, go Boris! I'm glad my explanation made sense; sometimes I think it does in my head, but when I say it to other people, they look at me like I'm mental. Meh, you win some, you lose some I guess…**_

**Please review! It'll make me really happy!**

**PS—I got two reviews that I did not answer to. To those of you, I'm sorry, but it didn't show up on my review board. I'll see if I still have them somewhere in my email, but I'm not promising anything. **


	16. Chapter 16

**YAY! Another chapter! *does happy dance***

**I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALL NOT MAD AT ME! Hehe… anywho… I've decided to answer the reviews at the beginning of this chapter. Here goes~**

_**To ThePandaHat: :))))))))))))) *chins go on to infinity***_

**_To The-Cheshire-Neko: That's… a lot of text. Okay: first off, thank you for enjoying the chapter and no, I didn't take any offense to your review. I usually can't write long chapters all that well; I start at a place and have a place I want to end at. I try to avoid using superfluous words because it can take away from the writing. Glad you liked the twist, too~ Really, this story just writes itself. I hadn't even planned for her to disappear originally, but once the idea came into my head, it was hard to go otherwise. As for the afterimages, I haven't read the manga in over half a year. So, I might be a little off. But that's what fanfics are for, no? Now for the romance… I really don't know if I will be putting romance in. Not _romantically_, anyways. And trust me: Peter and Alice are not my OTP; that's Boris and Alice xD Whew, finally done _**

_**To MidnightMoonMirage: That's the plan! Ha, just kidding. Hopefully you enjoyed that last chapter as well. **_

_**To proud mary (): Another friend of MMM? That's great! I'm glad a group of people really like this story!**_

_**To xXSolaine-GirlXx: Happy holidays to you to! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!**_

_**To xGrellSutcliffx: Hehe, Kuroshitsuji fans unite! And, you know I had to keep Ace IC. He's too good not too **_

_**To MidnightMoonMirage: …All will be revealed…**_

_**To Nightshade-Neko: I've been working really hard on the drama. Glad it turned out to your liking!**_

**_To HNKNA LOVA: Another part of the MMM flock, is it? If not, sorry for being too presumptuous. And you are the third or fourth person asking about Alice. Glad people care so much about her. I usually can't stand some peoples interpretations of certain heroines *cough cough* _Kagome from Inuyasha _*cough*_**

_**To The Dancing Star: Good proof! I'm glad you have paid attention to my story enough to use proof from the details! It makes me all happy **_

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THIS WONDERFUL MANGA! THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING FOR TODAY!**

"Ace." The deadly voice of the mafia boss reached the lost knave's ear, causing him to smile.

"Yes?" He turned back, a smile plastered goofily on his face but had it quickly wiped away when he saw the gun pointed straight at him. Narrowing his eyes a bit, he asked, "What's wrong? I thought we were looking for Alice."

Blood's eye twitched and he suddenly lost all composure. "We ARE looking for Alice! It's YOU who doesn't know where the hell you're going!" Aiming his gun, he shot a bullet, only to be shooting at air. Looking around, he noticed the Knight of Hearts running away, if a bit slowly.

Vivaldi noticed this too and placed a restraining hand on Blood's arm. "Do not harm him, Blood Dupre. Our Ace of Hearts is much too hurt for that." Seeing Blood about to protest, Vivaldi growled, "He is valuable to us; and if it proves true that our Prime Minister is causing all of this, we will not want our Knight dead as well. Place your weapon away."

Blood glared at his sister before sighing and changing his gun back into his cane. "Ace," he called, uncertainly. "Ace… get back here. We… well, I—" Blood was cut off as Ace came running back through the trees, a somewhat panicked expression on his face. Or as panicked as he could get anyways.

"Come quick! I—I've found Alice. But there's something wrong."

XXX

The blistering sun beat down on a certain blonde's back, causing her to groan in protest. When was it ever this hot in Wonderland before?

Deciding to take a break, Alice sat down on a nearby stump conveniently located out of the suns harsh rays. She relaxed in the blissful feeling of shade covering her body, but soon sighed tiredly and stood up. _No_, she thought,_ I can't get too comfortable. _

Covering her eyes at the bright light, she continued on her way, occasionally stopping to catch her breath. This journey was proving more difficult than she suspected.

Suddenly, Alice felt a sharp pain in her chest. It was not unlike the burning sensation of the bullet; but, Alice mused, it was much worse. It felt as though twenty bullets were all gathered in the same place, grinding together and creating an unending cycle of agony. Wordlessly screaming, Alice fell to the ground.

She was panting heavily, scratching at her chest to the best of her ability. Soon, her fingernails were bloody and she had long, angry gashes down her chest. Alice's eyes widened. What… what was that?

It had appeared, if only for a second, like her entire body was transparent, almost like a sheet of glass. Shaking slightly, she stood up, carefully adjusting her weight so the pain was only one bullet.

She began to stagger down her path, all the while keeping a careful eye on her hands. As the journey continued, her hands seemed to be getting… clearer. Panic swelled up inside her, causing her to trip on a root in the pathway.

Now she was crying. The tears were salty and fresh, but Alice couldn't feel them. She realized that her face was becoming transparent as well.

As she tried to stand up again, she fell straight back on her face. Glancing down, she noticed in horror that her feet weren't as stable as they once were.

That was the last straw. Lying on the ground, she felt tears falling from her eyes.

XXX

When Peter woke up, he saw spots.

The spots were all colors—red, green, yellow—before they settled on a light blue, so achingly familiar that he felt his heart clench at the thought. Moaning at the pain he was in, he rolled to his side.

After a few moments, the previous events came crashing down on him. Alice… her hate, tear-stricken eyes… her hands over his neck… the feeling of blood pounding in his head… the crying face of Alice…

Then total blackness.

Grimacing, he touched his swollen neck tenderly, cringing when the feeling of bruises met his fingertips. _Is this what that bastard of an ex felt when she did this?_ he wondered idly, curiosity plaguing his mind. Shaking his head to clear such morbid thoughts, he gingerly sat up before finally standing up. Blood rushed to his head, but other than that, he felt fine.

Glancing done at his stomach, he realized, quite happily, that his wound was almost completely healed. But his euphoria was soon short-lived when his anger returned tenfold. Something else was there as well. Something like…

Regret?

_No_, he protested vehemently in his head. "Why should it matter what happens to Alice?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the remorse increased. Growling at his weakness, he slammed his hand against a nearby tree. It began to bleed, but the pain snapped him out of his thoughts.

For now, anyways.

XXX

"Nightmare!"

But Nightmare wasn't listening. As soon as he remembered Alice's plight, he nearly jumped straight into the ceiling. Rather he missed it; but Julius experienced the full brunt of his body.

Scowling slightly, Julius picked Nightmare up off of him, noticing how heavily he was breathing. No matter what Nightmare said, there was no way he could make it to Alice, especially if he died before making it.

Did that mean that Alice was going to die?

Shaking his head of such thoughts, he unceremoniously threw Nightmare into the bed, ignoring his feeble protests of, "Alice needs me! She's going to disappear!"

There must have been something in Julius' eyes for as soon as he looked at Nightmare, the incubus immediately quieted down.

"Enough!" Julius roared. Grasping Nightmare's hand, he ripped the vile out of his grasp and began walking towards the door. With one last withering glance back at Nightmare, he slammed it shut.

Once Julius was out in the comfort of his own solitude, he exhaled a shaky sigh and muttered, "Dear Lord." But his self-pitying attitude was soon dispersed when he heard the familiar arguing somewhere in the Tower:

Gowland and Grey.

He quickly made his way down to the entrance, only catching small tidbits of information as he went.

"…see Julius!"

"Why are you here?"

"BECAUSE ALICE IS IN DANGER!"

Julius didn't hear Grey's response for at this time, he erupted through the door. Without even glancing at Grey, he said to Gowland:

"Do you know where Alice is?"

A strange look passed over Gowland's face (almost like one of guilt) before he placed his hand on his neck and nodded. He never met Julius' eyes.

"Then," placing the vile out, Julius continued, "take this to her. She needs it."

Gowland's eyes widened, but he quickly nodded. With one clean grab, he took the vile and ran out the door.

Grey was confused. "Julius, what the hell? What happened to Alice?"

As if remembering Grey was still there, Julius answered softly, "It's not good Grey. Alice… from Nightmare told me, she doesn't have much time to live. That vile is the only thing that can save her. Alice…" And Julius, the sober, solemn, cold man began to cry.

XXX

When Blood saw the outsider, his breath caught. And not in a good way.

Because, lying not even a few feet away, was Alice. Her body, once radiant with some inner light Blood had never seen, seemed to be getting… lighter. The shocking truth suddenly clicked.

Vivaldi screamed, snapping Blood out of his trance. Running forward, the usually stoic queen got on her knees, tears threatening to spill. Taking Alice's body, she placed the outsider against her bodice, muttering sweet nothings.

Ace seemed out of his element as well. Though he was standing back some ways, his eyes were wide and he was gaping dumbly, shocked. Deciding that he was the only sane one left, he ran towards the outsider.

Getting down beside Vivaldi, he yanked Alice out of her strong vise, ignoring her enraged protests as he did. It didn't look good; Alice's entire body was glowing that soft, ghastly white light and her eyes were closed in oblivion.

Manicured hands reached for Alice's body. Blood's patience snapped. "Get your hands away! I'm trying to help her!" But when he looked over at Vivaldi, he saw hard determination in her eyes.

"We understand what you're trying to do, but look." She pointed her hand over to some obtrusive opening that had a figure standing there.

It was Gowland.

"I'm here to help," he chuckled, pointing towards Alice's body—or lack thereof. Holding out some strange vile, he walked over to the Hatter siblings and joined them on the ground.

"Give Alice to me," he instructed. Nodding dumbly, Blood handed the outsider over. What he saw amazed him.

Taking the vile, Gowland popped the cap off and placed the entrance at her mouth. A strange smelling liquid fell into her mouth and a moment later, the vile was empty.

That was when the screaming started.

Jumping back, Blood stared at the body of Alice. What was wrong?

But after a few moments, her screaming died down to whimpering. Then that stopped as well.

Blood couldn't help; a near hysterical chuckle escaped his lips. Gowland was smiling like a madman, while Vivaldi had a small smile on her face as well. They did it! They saved Alice!

But their euphoria was short lived when a lone figure entered the clearing.

It was Peter.

And he didn't look happy.

**Yay, finally done! Next chapter will be action centric, with a dash of drama! Alice isn't out of the woods yet.**

**Can't wait to see you next chapter!**


	17. Chapter 17

Peter glared at the roleholders surrounding Alice before growling out, "Take your hands away from her. She is MINE."

Blood scowled at the rabbit while Gowland simply laughed and said, "Is she now? Last I knew, this little lass didn't belong to anyone, 'specially you." He spat the last word like it was venom. "But in the sense of Alice, I won't kill you. Just so long you leave in peace and never come back."

Peter's red eyes took on an eerie glow. "Leave? HA!" But after a moment, he rethought his answer and replied, "Okay Gowland, I'll leave… as long as I get to take Alice. Then you won't have to worry about me ever again."

Gowland narrowed his eyes but before he could draw his weapon, Blood intervened. "How about this? We'll kill you here and now so you don't have to worry about your perverse mind." Without waiting for a reply, Blood transformed his cane and began shooting.

But Peter was prepared. Twisting his body ever so slightly, he dodged each and every bullet before grabbing his gun and shooting three shots. One went stray, while another hit the branch right above the Mafioso. Finally, the third shot hit Vivaldi straight in the stomach.

"A-AAAH!" she screamed, grasping her bleeding wound. Tears stung at her eyes, but with the last of her strength, she cried, "Our Ace of Hearts! Take Alice and get out of here! That is an order you best not refuse!"

Ace's eyes widened before her words sunk in and he shook his head. "U-Um, but Miss Vivaldi… I don't… I don't think I can…"

Venom laced Vivaldi's answer. "It is not about whether you can! It's about if you will! Are you going to protect Alice? THEN TAKE HER AND LEAVE!" Once these words left her mouth, Vivaldi gasped and clutched her side with her failing hands. "And… whatever you do… protect her…" With these last words, Vivaldi passed out.

Ace nodded and, using the fight between Blood, Gowland (who had now joined) and Peter as a distraction, picked Alice up and began to run with her out of the woods.

Not even ten feet in did his wound reopen.

Not even twenty did he fall unconscious.

XXX

Peter's breath caught in his chest.

He had FINALLY destroyed those trying to keep him from his love. Glancing over at Gowland's unconscious body, he snickered before an insane laughter bounced off the trees. But his laughter soon died out when he noticed the vile secured tightly in his grasp.

More specifically, the empty vile.

"What…?" he questioned, his mind finally putting the pieces together. "There's no way…"

He let out a blood-curdling scream that echoed across the shrubbery. Alice woke with a start and took a minute to remember where she was exactly. Once reality sunk in, she paled considerably and scrambled to get up.

Only to find her lower body constricted by the Ace of Hearts.

"Ace!" she whisper-shouted, smacking his shoulder as she did. "Ace, wake up!"

But it was no use. No matter what she did, he was not getting up. Quickly scanning her surroundings, she began looking for something—anything—she could use as a weapon. By the sounds of the shuffling foliage, Peter wasn't far behind.

Finally, after a few precarious seconds where she thought her life was forfeit, she realized that she could use the Knight's sword in order to defend herself. Smiling triumphantly, she reached for the offending weapon.

Only to have her hand restrained above her head.

She inhaled quickly; how didn't she hear him approaching? Daring a quick glance up, she saw the person she feared the most in the world…

Peter.

"Hello, Alice sweet," he cooed, his voice disgustingly happy. "Miss me?"

She felt her resolve strengthen at his tone. How DARE he mock her when all she wanted to do was stay alive. How DARE he.

Feeling particularly adventurous, she responded by spitting in his face. He reeled back, but stayed surprisingly calm. Staring at Alice like she was no better than common trash, he responded venomously, "You stupid whore. What gives you the right to spit at me? Is this how you drove him away too?"

Alice's eyes widened and before she could stop herself, she protested, "I NEVER DROVE HIM AWAY! IF ANYTHING, HE DROVE ME AWAY!"

Peter looked unaffected. "Did he now? Aw, but I guess you wouldn't know, considering you killed him and all." Alice sucked in a sharp breath, but didn't protest. Peter took this as a sign to continue. Leaning forward, he placed his lips right by her ear and breathed in, "I guess you're already taking responsibility for his death. How does it feel, knowing you killed a good man?"

Alice's blood ran cold. Him, a good man? He made it very clear that he saw her as nothing more than a means to an end; that end being her sister. Before she could stop herself, Alice let out a bitter chuckle that soon exploded into laughter. Peter looked at her, wondering how she could've changed so quickly but was stopped when Alice's hands grabbed his shirt and brought her down to her eye level. In her eyes was something Peter had only ever seen in himself:

Insanity.

However, once she spoke, her voice was surprisingly calm. "That man never LOVED me. I was simply a girl who fell for his stupid lies, his meaningless promises. In the end, all he wanted was my sister." By this time, Alice had tears streaming down her face as her face contorted in pain.

After a few moments, Alice continued, "He was a craven. He was so cowardly, in fact, that he wasn't even able to tell me to my face about his love. And then… and then, I just lost it. When I attacked him, I was being spiteful."

She stopped talking and Peter thought she was done. Opening his mouth to reply, he was cut off as Alice said, "BUT… I'm sorry I ever did that. I know that's not enough to forgive my actions, but I can't change the past."

Peter stared down at the still slightly sobbing girl in front of him before responding, quite bitterly, "How do you think I feel?"

Alice crinkled her brow in confusion. "Peter," she cringed at the acrid taste his name left in her mouth before continuing, "I don't know what you mean."

Peter slammed his fist into a nearby tree, sending tremors of fear through Alice. After a few painstakingly silent moments, he answered:

"You're a coward too Alice."

Alice's tone came out indignant. "How am I a coward? Because if it's just because I ran away from you, I think it's justified."

Peter shook his head sadly. "Not that," he whispered softly. "Everything… else."

Alice was about to ask what, but bit her tongue. He'd tell her… eventually.

Sighing deeply, Peter ran a hand throughout his snow colored locks before glancing at Alice warily. "It… it was… you already know I'm in love with you, Alice. I thought that if you were here by my side, I could be happy. Even if you chose someone else to love."

"But as time went on, I couldn't stand the other roleholders. I got so jealous when I wasn't able to spend time with you. But the thing that hurt the most… was the fact that you could never tell me straight to my face how you felt. Sure, you called me annoying and a stalker, but you never said, 'Peter, I never want to see you again.' You kept smiling and inviting me to be friends, never noticing my feelings."

Alice's gaze softened. "Peter…"

"I know, I know." He laughed bitterly, but it was tinged with sadness. "I'm such a fool. I should have just been happy with your friendship, but I wanted more. So, so much more…" He leaned forward, almost as if to kiss her, before remembering the situation and pulling back.

Alice stared at the rabbit, clearly unsure; what he said made sense, but what if he was just playing her? "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Peter blinked several times, before smiling warmly and saying, "You don't. I guess… this will prove it…" Taking out Ace's sword, he pointed it towards Alice. She cringed, but when she felt no metal piercing her abdomen, she looked up. Peter was handing her the sword, his gaze fixed intently on a faraway rock.

Jumping on the opportunity, she grabbed the sword and held it up shakily. After what seemed like an eternity, she asked, "Why are you giving me this?"

Peter smiled down at the outsider before answering. "We… we're a lot more similar than you or I could even dream. So… with that sword, by your hand… please take my life…"

Alice's eyes widened impossibly. She couldn't… could she? After all the trouble he caused her, it was more than warranted. Still…

"Peter, I don't think I can…"

"Try," he commanded softly. "Look, I'll even get Ace off of you."Rolling the knight over, he helped Alice stand up and then threw his clock over into the trees. Alice watched, wide-eyed, as the clock sailed until a satisfying thump was heard.

Turning her attention back towards Peter, she finally understood how serious he was. Raising the blade slightly, she aimed it at his chest, straight for his clock. Peter closed his eyes, a docile look on his face, as he waited for his end. Alice raised the blade higher…

And slammed it into the soil under her feet.

Peter's eyes snapped open at the sound and surprise flashed across his face. "What are you—"

But before he could answer, Alice ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. She felt tears trickling down her cheeks, but she didn't dare let go.

"P-Peter…" she sobbed, her face full of cascading tears. "How can you ask me to kill you? I won't, not again…" When she got no answer from the Prime Minister, she pulled away slightly and gazed into his face. Her scrutinizing stare made Peter shift uncomfortably.

Sucking in a deep breath, Alice said truthfully, "I can never love you Peter. I'm sorry that I led you along, even if it was unintentionally. I guess… I'm not much better than _**him**_."

Peter shook his head and bit his tongue to keep his own tears from spilling out. Her blunt honestly was affecting him in a way that had never happened before. Gazing intently into Alice's eyes, he brushed a piece of hair out of her face and said, more to himself, "I guess I'm not surprised. The girl I fell in love with… wasn't even really you. So it's no wonder you never fell in love with me."

Alice smiled slightly, her eyes holding silent agreement. Peter saw her expression and sighed dramatically. Grabbing her hands, he unpeeled the outsider from his body before stepping back and admiring the girl in front of him.

"All those mistakes I made…" he whispered, his eyes darting nervously to the side. "Saying 'I'm sorry' won't even be good enough." Taking Alice's hand, he stared at her straight in the eye before continuing, "So I guess I'll leave. There really isn't anything here for me anymore."

Alice felt her tears beginning to fall again, but she did not rebuke him. He was right; there really wasn't anything here for him anymore. Though she wanted to say it was going to be all right, she bit her tongue. That would be just like leading him on again.

So instead, she asked a different question. "Where will you go?"

Peter smiled sadly before answering in the strongest tone he could muster. "Somewhere… far. I hear that the Country of Spades is looking for a new Prime Minister and… well, I fit the bill."

Alice nodded her head. "It'll probably be good for you."

"Yeah," Peter replied. "Yes, it will." Without another word, he turned around and began to walk away. But then he stopped and glanced back at the anxious outsider. "Oh, and Alice… if you can't ever find love here, just remember I'll always be just a country away. If you call Alice, I'll come back for you. I promise."

Alice nodded her head. "Then it's settled," she teased. But soon her expression sobered up. "Maybe… maybe some time later… we might even be able to become friends again."

Peter smiled faintly. "That would be nice." He turned back around, but before he continued to go anywhere, he ran to Alice and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Blushing furiously, he ran away, never once turning back.

Alice placed a hand on her cheek and watched as the White Rabbit ran away into the forest. She never once saw him again.

**Yay, another chapter! And though I hate to say this… THERE IS ONLY ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! /3 So, I would like to personally thank all of you who have reviewed and favorite this story. It means so much to me to see you all behind my first story on . I am so ecstatic.**

**Speaking of stories…**

**I did upload a new story called _Sakura_. It is an Ouran High School Host Club and Clannad crossover. I had written the beginning of it long before I even had the idea for this story, so I wasn't taking away anything from you. It would mean the world to me if you checked out this story too. I plan on working on it once the last chapter of _Darlynne_ is up.**

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**And as always, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Finally… THE LAST CHAPTER! *thunder strikes dramatically in the background* So sorry I didn't update quicker—it's just that I had an English paper due, got sick (for the fifth time or so this winter) and was taking a break from my midterms. **

**But now that were here, it feels so nostalgic. I can remember the first night I actually decided to create my account (and post the first chapter of this story in the process). I remembered having so much fun writing this and getting all the warm butterflies from all your reviews. You (the reviewers, readers, and alerters) are the reason we're here today.**

**In honor of that, I would like to give special thanks to Yoruko Rhapsodos (whose hatred of Peter kept me from going soft), ThePandaHat (who reviewed nearly every chapter, always asking for more xD), xXSolaine-GirlXx (one who has written some very nice fanfiction, so it meant a lot that she enjoyed my work), and The-Cheshire-Neko (who, even though left lengthy reviews, gave me insight to things I was not quite on the dot with). You all were there with me the entire way, and I salute you.**

**As for the rest of you (HNKNA LOVA, Kawaii Youkai Hime, Proud Mary, xGrellSutcliffx, BlackestFog, Lil Hamari, movielover9, and TheBlueQueen) you gave me so much so support. My face lit up every time you reviewed.**

**Okay (as if that wasn't lengthy enough) here's the chapter~**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HNKNA, FOR THE LAST STINKIN' TIME!**

**XXX**

**Epilogue**

_One week later…_

"Haha—CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!"

"You wish Boris!"

"Yeah, you're on, stupid cat!"

"HA!" said cat yelled back, turning around and giving the one-fingered salute to his pursuers before slipping around the bend in the hallway. Slowing down, he made his way towards a door closed tightly and went to slip inside.

Only to find it shut tight with the lock latched.

"Shit!" he cursed. Just as he turned around…

….he was met with the sight of two smiling twins.

Lunging forward, Dee grabbed Boris' right side while Dum brought out his knife. Slowly, he made his way towards the struggling cat, getting prepared to finish his prey. "This is the end!"

Boris chuckled and finally wretched free of the offending twin before readying his gun. "My my—its only just begun!" Boris began shooting at the twins, but scowled when he noticed them reflecting nearly every shot.

"Boris! Dee! Dum!" a female voice rang clear in the air and the three fighting stopped for a moment. Glancing back at the once locked door, the roleholders noticed a very amused looking Alice standing in her nightdress in the doorway. Her soft pink lips were set in a smirk and her normally free-flowing hair was pulled back out of her face. All in all, it gave her the impression of being someone much younger.

"It's the Pretty Lady!" the twins cried, effectively latching themselves on the outsiders opposing sides. She laughed and placed her hands around their shoulders.

"I'm glad to see you too," she chuckled, glancing at Boris. "You too."

Boris blushed an impressive shade of scarlet before clearing his throat nervously and regarding Alice. "Uh… you too. Are you really sure you should be up? Last I heard, your wounds hadn't completely closed up yet."

It was true; even with an entire week bed-ridden, Alice still couldn't walk around without help of a cane. And even with the cane, she still couldn't walk long distances without the help of someone else. Still, this day, Alice felt better than she had in a _**very**_ long time.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. What none of the roleholders were aware of was she was still having nightmares. But these nightmares weren't the normal kind; rather, they were continually looping, as though the channel was stuck on some particularly disturbing channel.

The strangest thing was, though, was that they seemed to revolve on what could have been. Every night, she returned to that same moment when her entire life was put into libido. But the similarities stopped there. Each dream ending was different from the last, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember how any of them ended. It was… concerning, to say the least.

"—right, Alice?" The question snapped Alice out of her trance. Glancing up into Boris' eyes, she shook her head slightly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say? I just spaced out a little there."

Boris and the two gatekeepers exchanged uneasy glances before asking Alice in a serious tone:

"Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded her head and smiled warmly; still seeing their disbelieving glances being exchanged, her smile died down and she replied carefully, "I'm fine, seriously. I was just thinking a little bit."

Just as Boris was about to say something else, a loud grumble filled the air. Alice's face turned beat red before she laughed embarrassedly. Boris chuckled too, while Dee and Dum snickered like children.

"Is the Pretty Lady hungry?" Dee asked. Turning towards Dum, he said to his brother, "Let's go kill something for the Pretty Lady!"

Dum let out an exuberant response before he began to follow his brother. Boris watched the twins walk away before glancing down at Alice's stock-still form.

"Hey—are you sure you're alright?" Boris questioned, placing a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder. Alice stared at Boris' face for a good moment, debating on if she should lie to him or not.

Releasing a sigh, Alice's smile dropped and she replied, "Actually Boris…"

But before she could finish, the exuberant voice of Gowland cut through the air. "Hey Alice, I heard you were u—my my, what do we have here? Boris out to stud?"

Boris blushed an impressive shade of before sputtering angrily back at the Amusement Park owner, "Like hell Old Man! Alice and I were just getting her something to eat!"

Gowland snickered a little at Boris' expression. "You don't have to lie to me, Boris. I understand how you do things."

Boris, who by this time had even his ears red, looked away and pouted slightly. "Shut it, Old Man! Alice and I were just…" But Boris stopped as he felt a feminine hand rest on his shoulder. Glancing down at Alice, he realized that she breathing heavily and her skin was a poignant red. She wasn't blushing though.

"Alice?" he asked, pulling her face up to get a better look. "Alice, what's wrong?" But Alice didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed onto Boris with renewed vigor as her breathing intensified. Then, much to the horror of Gowland and Boris, she passed out.

XXX

As soon as Alice fell unconscious, Gowland gave a strict look to Boris and said with urgency, "Take her back to her room and stay by her. I'll go get a nurse." Boris nodded and scooped Alice into his arms before he ran back to her room. He laid her on the bed and stared hard at her convulsing face. How? He thought she had been feeling better. Even without her words of encouragement, the nurses had said she was doing better. So why was she unconscious?

After a few more moments of silent contemplation, the only door to the room flew open and Boris expected to see white-clad nurses.

What he wasn't expecting was to see Nightmare.

The incubus ran over to the bed and shooed Boris away. Then, in a deadly whisper, he asked:

"What happened to the vile?"

Boris' eyes widened. "The vile Alice destroyed?"

Nightmare nodded his head. "Yes, that's the one; but there was another one. When… the Prime Minister had taken her, Gowland came knocking at the Clock Tower." As he said this, he grabbed a wash cloth and placed cool water over it, before slipping it on Alice's head. "He asked about Alice and I told him that the only way she was going to be okay was if he took… the other vile with him."

Though Boris didn't know what he meant by 'the only way she going to be okay', he did remember the Old Man distinctly telling him about how he saved Alice. "He… he said he took the vile with him and… poured the contents into her mouth."

Nightmare bit his lower lip in distress. "That's what I was afraid of," he muttered before yelling for Gowland, who still wasn't back yet. After a moment, a disheveled Gowland ran through the doorway.

"What's up Nightmare? Got any idea what's wrong with Alice?" But as he said this, he felt the dire tension in the room. But before he could say anything else, Nightmare answered with:

"Did you feed Alice what was in the vile?"

A look of shock passed over Gowland's face before he answered shakily, "Yeah. What of it?"

Gowland bit his lip again and said in low urgency, "That vile… I know I said that it would save Alice…" He paused for a second; then, taking a sharp intake of breath, he said, "But the vile contents have… a special property, so to put it. All she needed was the physical vile; she didn't need to drink what was inside."

Gowland, who had until this time been glaring a hole into the floor, responded with, "But you didn't see her Nightmare! She was almost gone; if I hadn't done it, SHE'D HAVE DISAPPEARED! Is that what you wanted?"

Nightmare lost his composure. "Well, now, the rules have been broken; since she drank the contents of the vile, she must pay the penalty."

"What penalty?" Boris squeaked out, who, until this time had been uncannily quiet.

Remorse and anger etched Nightmare's features. "She can no longer remain. She MUST return… and learn the past regrets."

Before Gowland or Boris could ask what he meant, he finished by saying…

"By tonight, Alice will be gone from Wonderland."

XXX

_Later that night…_

News of Alice's demise spread fast through the small hospital. It spread even quicker to the other territories.

So, it was no surprise when nearly every roleholder in Wonderland (minus the Prime Minister, of course) gathered in Alice's small hospital room.

She had yet to wake up.

There was very little noise coming the numerous people assembled; rather, it seemed as if they were all holding their breath, waiting for the outsider to wake up.

Glancing over at the clock, Nightmare sucked in a shaky breath. It was nearly time and Alice wasn't even close to waking up. Most likely, she wouldn't wake up at all.

Exhaling, Nightmare faced the small congregation of people.

There was Vivaldi, still bandaged but otherwise unharmed as her gaze pierced everyone in the room.

To Blood, who looked sick and uncomfortable.

To Boris, who looked completely lost.

To Gowland, who had so much anger etched into his face at his stupidity for putting Alice in this position.

To Ace, who was gazing deadly at Alice, as though he was looking at a corpse.

All in all, it was an unhappy procession. But Nightmare knew what he had to say. Closing his eyes for a brief second, he snapped them open and said, in a voice lacking confidence, "It's most likely she won't wake up to say goodbye. Her times almost up."

Nobody answered him, but he saw the rare threat of tears in some of their eyes. But what else could he say? Anything else would be too cruel of him to do.

The clock stroke midnight.

XXX

It wasn't long until the body of the outsider all together disappeared. She didn't go out with a blinding light or a loud boom; rather, her body continued to fade until nothing remained. The bed was still warm.

Nobody said a word. They didn't need to; everybody understood the implications.

It was a sad procession out.

XXX

When Alice opened her eyes, she was greeted with bright sunlight.

"ALICE!" a chipper voice screamed from downstairs. The voice sent Alice jumping straight onto the floor. She winced and rubbed her head, before yelling back in agitation, "Stop screaming Lorina! You scared me!"

Alice was met with the giggling face of Lorina as she opened the door. "I'm not the one who's sleeping in so late! In case you forgot, we're having guests today."

"Guests?"

Lorina blinked at Alice's confusion. "Yeah—I'm pretty sure I told you about them. You know, the Sterlings? They'll be here later tonight."

Alice didn't know why, but when she heard the name, a pang of… something resounded in her chest. Shaking her head at her childishness, she responded with a flustered, "Of course I remember! How could I forget? It's all you've been talking about for the last… oh, I don't know, _**month**_."

Lorina giggled. "Well, whatever the case, hurry up and get ready. We still have to clean the house before they appear."

Alice chuckled slightly. "Alright," she said. "I'll be down in a moment."

XXX

After an entire day of cleaning and cooking, the younger Liddel went to bath and washed all the grime off her body. It felt heavenly.

After effectively drying herself off, Alice pinned her hair back into an elegant updo before spraying a heavenly rose-scented perfume on her. Though she wouldn't admit this to anybody, the smell brought back that similar pang she'd been feeling all day.

Yes, for the entire day, Alice went through the motions with a sense of… confusion? Dread? More like a sense of repetition. It felt as though she had been here before.

Shaking her head, she reached for her nightgown, only to grab at nothing.

"Crap!" she muttered. "All my clean clothes are downstairs!"

Quickly grabbing her towel, she threw it around her body before rushing towards the steps. Taking them two at a time, she wasted no time in getting down.

But fate wasn't smiling in her favor as she collided with someone—hard.

"Ouch!" she cried. Glancing up at the unfortunate person, she noticed how incredibly handsome he was. She blushed in spite of herself, but quickly remembered what she was wearing and shot up like a rocket.

Becoming flustered, she glanced into the pissed amethyst orbs glaring her down. Swallowing her fear, she bowed (to the best of her ability in a towel) and said, "I'm sorry! I should've looked where I was going!"

"Yeah, you should have," he growled out, making Alice stop her bowing mid-bow. That same familiar feeling crept up on her, as did something else. She felt as though if she continued to talk to this boy, everyone… would be over.

Taking one hard glance at the boy, she muttered out in outrage, "You don't have to be so rude about it! It was an accident!"

A shocked smile played on his lips before he stood up haughtily and said, "You best watch your tongue. You probably don't even know who you're talking to, do you?"

Before Alice could reply, he turned away from her and stalked to the first floor. She watched him go for a couple minutes before the reality kicked back in.

"I need to go get my clothes!"

XXX

Later that night, after the Sterlings had retired to their own mansion farther in the country, Alice was still thinking about what had happened at dinner.

_Once Alice finally found her clothes, she had hurriedly made her way upstairs, sans makeup. She was greeted with the table for once surprisingly full as Lorina sat at the head and the others (who she assumed were the infamous Sterlings) filled the appropriate seats. _

_After some appropriate small talk, the woman Margaret leaned across the table and asked in a drunken seriousness, "What would you think of marrying our son, my dear Alice?"_

_Alice blinked a couple times at the woman before answering without confidence, "I guess… I'm sorry. I don't really know."_

_The woman simply laughed. "Why, you must! Go ahead and be honest—I promise I'll understand."_

_That same incessant voice from earlier filtered through her like white noise. Slowly, she lifted her head up and stared straight into Margaret's eyes._

"_I would never want to marry that self-centered, egotistical bastard you call a son." _

_Lorina gasped, while Margaret turned an impressive shade of purple. Glaring death at the younger Liddel, she spat out, "I have never been so insulted in my life! Who are you to say that to my son, you filthy whore?"_

_That blow stung. But Alice bit her harsh retort and replied evenly, "First off, I'm not a whore. Just because everybody fawns over your son doesn't mean I'm going to."_

_That was enough. With an indignant 'harumph', Margaret stood up (quite shakily) and said to her husband, "Let's go. It's clear these people don't have any etiquette."_

_Lorina, ever the moderator, tried to intervene. "Please Madam Sterling, I'm sure Alice didn't mean it. Right Alice?"_

_When Alice refused to answer, Margaret glared back at Lorina and angrily replied, "I think she's said enough. We're leaving." And with that, she turned around._

_Once they left, Lorina started on Alice. "Why were you so rude?" she questioned, her voice barely containing her appall. "I thought Mother taught you better than that."_

_Alice felt tears sting her eyes. She had never seen Lorina so angry. Once Lorina saw her sister's tears, her fierce expression from earlier softened and she replied, "I'm sorry Alice. I shouldn't have said that."_

_Without another word, Lorina stalked out the room. _

XXX

Nearly a year after the dinner fiasco, Lorina and Alice were finally on better terms. Though they had fought, they eventually saw how the other was feeling and finally made amends. They were now as close as they were before, if not closer.

That's why it was no surprise when Lorina barged into Alice's room on a cloudless sunny day and said, "Let's go outside. It's such nice weather today!"

Alice smiled and nodded her consent. After changing into more suitable attire, the two sisters made their way out into the courtyard. After an interesting discussion on a new book Lorina had been reading, the eldest sister suggested that she go get cards to play.

Before she left though, she turned around and said playfully, "Don't fall asleep Alice. I know how you can fall asleep anywhere." Alice nodded and watched as her sister left.

But staying awake be damned as she felt the wonderful sun touch her skin. Not only that, she still felt that incessant whisper in her head whenever she was alone. Though it didn't happen as much anymore, it still came back every once and awhile.

"_Let me warn you about something,"_ it whispered, barely ghosting over Alice's consciousness. _"Every game has its rules. And those rules are cemented the moment you start to play."_

This is where it all began.

**And that, my dear readers, is the final chapter of this story. I hope it turned out to your liking and I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. Thank you all for being here!**

**And I previously mentioned before, I do have a new story up called _Sakura_. It's an _Ouran High School Host Club_ and_ Clannad _crossover. Please check it out!**

**Thank you again! And for old time's sakes…**

**REVIEW!**


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